Living
by ClearEyes
Summary: Jack Frost somehow winds up in his house, with his sister and his parents. His sister his alive, much to his relief, but he is also human. It's as if none of the past three hundred years had ever existed, and no one recalls anything. Jackson Overland never died, but Jack Frost still has his memories telling him that those three centuries did happen. What is real?
1. Chapter 1

Living

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**Hello again! I'm here with another fan fiction about Rise of the Guardians, starring Jack Frost. I came up with this idea in a dream. The story is about Jack, being a Guardian and the bringer of winter, but that somehow he winds up in his house, with his sister and his parents. His sister his alive, much to his relief, but he is also human. It's as if none of the past three hundred years had ever existed, and no one recalls anything. Jackson Overland never died, but Jack Frost still has his memories telling him that it did happen. What's going on? Will Jack be able to figure out what's happening?**

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Chapter One

Jack Frost, the Guardian of Fun, also bringer of the winter season, flew over the clouds in the North Pole to get to North's place. He had called for a meeting, and so every guardian had to go. Thoothiana, the Tooth Fairy and Guardian of Memories; E. Aster Bunnymund, the Easter bunny and Guardian of Hope; Sanderson Mansnoozie, the Sandman and Guardian of Dreams, and Nick St. North, Santa Claus and Guardian of Wonder were the first original guardians chosen by the Man in the Moon to protect the children of the Earth. However, ever since Pitch Black, King of the Nightmares, threatened and endangered the kids the Man in the Moon chose another guardian to help them. That last, but not least, guardian is none other than Jack. He arrived at the same time Tooth did.

"Do you have any idea what is this about?" Jack asked her, but she just shook her head.

"I just hope it's not anything bad," he heard her whisper, more to herself than her. She looked down and sad, she wasn't being herself. Jack was pained by this and decided he would try to cheer her up later, with a snowball fight or maybe ice skating.

He followed after her and in the center of the room were already Bunnymund, North and Sandy waiting for them. If they thought anything about Jack and Tooth arriving together, they didn't say. Everyone had stern faces and the atmosphere felt heavy. It looked like everyone knew something Jack didn't, because he simply didn't understand.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jack asked worriedly. They're secretive attitude was getting on his nerves. "What's wrong?"

"Jack," North started to say something, but closed his mouth without saying another word. He was hesitating to tell him something. Then it dawned on Jack.

"This meeting is about me, isn't it? Did I do something wrong? Why is everyone so upset?" Jack asked again, more worried than before. All of their faces jerked up to him, but they didn't deny it. After all, the meeting was about Jack. Finally, Bunnymund took a deep breath and a step forward.

"You've been a guardian with us for a year now and… the Man in the Moon told us he wants to test you," Jack's eyes widened and soon Tooth intervened.

"It's not that you aren't a doing a good job, in fact, the way in which you work is impeccable. But as you are the newest member of us and are still… lacking experience, the Man in the Moon thought it would be wise to put you through The Test," she told him. She had such a serious expression on her that Jack thought for a second she wasn't the real Toothiana. His eyes darted from one guardian to another, not knowing what to say or do. Finally, it occurred to him a not-so-dumb question.

"Did you all take the test?" He asked them.

"We did it when we had to, when the Man in the Moon thought it was the right time," replied North. "For example, one day Tooth found some teeth scattered around in the ground, she picked them up, cleaned them, and stored them. She tracked down their owners to give them the prize they deserved, and she discovered that they were from the Man in the Moon. He told her that it had been a test to know if she would do the right thing, which she did, so she passed the test.

"Is every test the same?" Jack asked again, starting to feel nervous. If it was about doing the right thing he wondered if he would do it or if he wouldn't.

"It doesn't present itself in the same form all the time, but the essence it's the same. You have to prove yourself worthy," Bunnymund translated from Sandy's image language.

"So, when is it going to be?" Jack asked uneasily.

"We don't know. It's going to come to you when you least expect it," Tooth told him and put a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder. Then, suddenly, North burst out laughing and a lot of elves entered the room with trays of cookies and hot chocolate.

"That's enough of serious stuff. Jack, we called you today because of the test, yes, but the main reason here is your anniversary party!" North exclaimed, leaving Jack a little bit more speechless than he already was. All of the sudden everyone embraced him and the party started.

For hours to no end they played, talked, laughed. Everyone was happy and Jack managed to forget about the test for a little while. When the party was over, North was snoring loudly next to Sandy in a couch in the living room, Bunnymund had left, and Tooth and Jack were the only ones left. Jack decided he would fly together with Tooth to her palace of teeth, and so, they were on their way.

After flying in silence for a while, Tooth spoke at last. "I think you are going to past the test smoothly, Jack. You have already proved yourself more than worthy, and I think the Man in the Moon is doing it just to follow the rules he established himself," she told him and smiled at him, looking into his eyes.

Jack chuckled softly and then felt silent, deep in thought. "What does the Man in the Moon do if we… I fail?" he asked softly, and Tooth almost didn't catch it.

"It has never happened before, and I don't think you'll fail Jack. Have some faith in you," Tooth told him but Jack just looked at her and repeated the question. Tooth sighed. "Maybe he'll relieve you from your duties as a guardian, I don't know Jack. If you think that you are going to lose, then you'll have a hard time winning."

Jack sighed next. "But what if I don't deserve this? What if I don't prove myself worthy of being a guardian?" he asked, revealing his deepest fears to Tooth and regretting it because he didn't want her to see him as weak; if he wanted to achieve something with her, at least.

Tooth stopped on his tracks and pulled Jack's arm, stopping him too. "You deserve this more than anyone. Believe in me and, more importantly, in you," she told him for the third time expecting him to actually believe it. She also hoped she could reach seven times and maybe that way it'd become truth. Jack looked at her, trying to decipher if there was any hint of lie or something, but he found just determination and truth in her eyes. He smiled. Maybe she was right; he was going to pass the test.

Before he could stop himself, Jack embraced Tooth tightly. He whispered "thank you" in her ear and, luckily for her, missed the deep shade of red that colored the queen's face. Then they broke the embrace and looked at each other. Tooth felt she was ready to tell him how she felt, until Jack pointed to his left, her right, and she realized they had arrived at her palace. _I'll tell him another time; _Tooth thought to herself before waving him goodbye and wishing him luck in the test, not that he needed it. Before he left she threw him something. It was spherical and was wrapped up in silver paper with a blue ribbon on it, but when Jack turned to thank her she was already gone.

Jack, having nothing special to do for the rest of the night, left for Burgess and his pond. When he arrived he sat in the middle of it and started unwrapping the present. The box was round, giving the gist an spherical shape, and inside of it was a necklace of dark blue braided string with a pendant of a silver snowflake. Jack was touched by the gift and put it on, reminding himself to give something to her too. Then, he went to a tree and settled to sleep. He saw the moon, wondering if Tooth had been right about him and then he drifted off to a peaceful, yet dreamless, sleep.

He woke up with the sunlight. It gave him straight in the eyes and so he blinked trying to get used to it. Still, when he opened his eyes he discovered he was in a small room made out of wood, and he was in a bed. Or, well, something that was trying to make up for a bed. It was what looked like a sack of potatoes, only bigger, filled with straw. It wasn't the most comfortable, especially after trying those in North's place, but it was fine.

He sat down, aiming to stand up, but when his head spun around he did the only thing he could: slump bad into the bed.

Suddenly, the door in the room opened. There, a young girl with brown hair and big eyes, brown too, stepped into the room with a tray of food. When she saw him, her hands slipped off the tray and she dropped it, her mouth open and his eyes wide. Tears welled up in her eyes and she stood there for a whole five minutes. In the meantime, Jack tried to process what he was seeing: the girl in front of her wasn't just any girl; she was his sister, Pippa Overland.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I just wanted to thank all of you who read the story. I received a lot of emails about this story, wich really surprised me in a good way! Thank you for the favorites, the followers and the reviewers. I feel so grateful to all of you and so happy! Now, here is the second chapter, I hope you like it as much as the first.**

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Chapter Two

Jack just stayed on the bed awestricken watching at his little sister weeping in front of him, still standing in the doorway. She had suddenly started crying and, as suddenly as that, she ran to him and hugged him tight. He awkwardly returned the hug, still not knowing what was happening. Last night he slept on a tree, and now he woke up in a bed inside a wooden cottage. And not only that, but he was being hugged by his long dead little sister.

"I thought you were never going to wake up," she sobbed in his neck, still hugging him. He looked at himself quickly; he didn't remember feeling so sore in a while; right after the battle with Ptich, actually. He discovered his hands weren't as pale as they used to and, instead of his hoodie, he was wearing a white long sleeve shirt.

"What happened?" He murmured, more to himself than anything, but his sister heard him and broke the hug to look at him. Hey eyes were red from the crying, but her eyes were still beautiful. She was somehow bigger than in his memories. She looked surprised when she spoke again.

"You don't remember?" she asked puzzled. Then, as Jack was about to answer, they both heard a closing door. They heard light footsteps nearing the room, and in the door frame a middle aged woman peeked in. Jack gasped when he realized it was his mom; now he was definitely sure that something was wrong. Was he sick? Had he died the night before in his sleep without knowing it? His mother too looked surprised at the sight, for what reason Jack didn't know.

Pippa ran to their mom and hugged her by the waist. "He's awake, mommy! I told you he would wake up, see? I told you." She told her excitedly, happy. Her smile was as wide as it could get, her eyes were gleaming with emotion and unshed tears. Their mom looked down to her and smiled sweetly before nearing Jack. She sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand on his cheek, her eyes watering too before spilling some tears.

"My boy," she whispered and embraced him too tightly. Jack returned it, and all of the sudden he too started to cry too. How he had missed his mother since he retrieved his memories, but he wouldn't… he couldn't tell anybody. He didn't fully realize it himself until he saw her in front of him and felt her warmth. Warmth; the hug was warm, the house and the bed were warm and he didn't backed away, he didn't show any sign of disgust towards it. He actually liked it, he actually wanted to remain warm a little longer. It was a feeling so alien to him, being the bringer of winter and all for three hundred years. But now, in the middle of it all, he just wanted to stay like that forever and don't let go.

"I missed you," he told her, merely in a whisper, and tightened his grip on her. It was almost as if he was afraid of letting go, which he actually was. He feared it would fade away like a dream. Then he thought of something. Maybe it was all a dream, one of Sandy's creation to make him feel better or something. Well, when he woke up he would smack Sandy in the face for the dream. It was sweet and all, but it would be too painful when he would wake up and they were gone again.

Almost at the same time, something else occurred to him. Sandy didn't know him as human, much less his family, so how would he create a dream about his past when he didn't know anything about it? Maybe it was the sand's job on his head, and Sandy was just watching it wouldn't go berserk? He didn't know, and he was tired of thinking. All of those thought happened in a millisecond and neither his mother nor his sister noticed. They broke the hug and stared into each other's eyes. Then Pippa jumped in the bed and joined them.

Without thinking Jack raised his fingers to his arm and he pinched himself. Pippa and his mother looked at him in a strange way. Then, to explain himself, he asked out loud "Am I dreaming?"

They laughed. "Of course not silly, in fact, you just woke up," his mom told him. Seeing that the pinch didn't wake him up although it did hurt he decided that it was not a dream. But then, what was happening? Why had he, somehow, traveled through time? In time travel there were supposed to be two Jacks: the one of the present and the one of the past. That much he knew, and here it seemed like he was the only one, so, what was going on? He laughed with them and decided he would dwell on it later, because now he had a lot of catching up to do.

"What happened?" he asked, stunning his mother and sister. "Why do I feel so sore? Why did I just wake up?"

"Don't you remember?" His mother asked, and he remembered Pippa asking exactly that question some minutes ago. Jack shook his head, not sure of what should he remember. Sure, he remembered a lot of things, but they didn't match what was happening at the moment, so he just said he didn't. "You fell into the frozen lake this winter. You saved your sister." Then everything seemed to click. He never died, never became Jack Frost. "Someone nearby saw what happened and jumped in to rescue you."

"What? Who?" he asked. He did remember saving his sister thanks to Tooth, but he didn't remember being saved. The one to save him was the Man in the Moon, and that was when Jack was already dead. This time, however, Pippa answered.

"It was a travelling man just passing through. He jumped in right after you and he took his time coming out. I thought he was not going to make it, but then he emerged out of the water with you. He managed to get you breathing again and brought you home, but you just didn't wake up… Until now," she told him, tearing up at the painful memories. Jack swallowed the lump on his throat and shut his eyes to stop himself from crying. Somehow, he was alive. He was living. Was this a second chance? But why wait three centuries for it? Did that mean that he never actually lived for three hundred years? Had that been the dream he had just woken up from? If he never died and never became Jack Frost, never met the Man in the Moon, had three centuries really gone by?

His mom hugged him again and Pippa soon joined them. It was a very beautiful reunion for them, especially for Jack. When the hug broke his mom realized the big frown on Jack's expression. "What's wrong sweetie?" she asked soothingly.

"How long did I sleep?" he asked, a little bit afraid of knowing the answer.

"The whole winter; Easter is only a week away," replied Pippa, quite excitedly. After all, they could go together to the egg hunting that year.

"Easter?" he asked again, not quite getting the whole concept. Could Bunnymund still remember him and tell him what was happening? Still, something told Jack it wouldn't work so smoothly. What were the chances that the Easter Bunny still remembered him if he wasn't Jack Frost anymore? The Blizzard of ninety sixty eight never happened, anyway, and he doubted Bunny would remember him for something other than that. Before that blizzard, they practically didn't know each other in person. Jack was inevitably confused, and his mother noticed this.

"Why don't you rest some more, sweetie? When your dad comes home he'll be thrilled to see you. He missed you so much, like us. I'll start making dinner, your favorite dish" his mother told him and stood up. She pressed her hand against his cheek again and turned away to leave the room. "Pippa, darling, let's give your brother some rest," she called his sister and they both left, smiling sweetly at him before closing the door.

When he was finally alone, he slumped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. His whole body ached, and his mind was also throbbing. What was real and what a dream? Did Jack dream about becoming Jack Frost? Right when he wasn't alone anymore, when he finally found a new family with the Guardians, he waked up with his real family. It didn't feel right. He couldn't have dreamt about those three centuries, it all felt so real. But then again he couldn't what was real anymore. His head was throbbing and his eyelids felt heavy. He fell asleep, but before he closed his eyes, he thought he saw a delicate thread of golden sand above his head.

The wind woke him up. The wind he was so familiar with but that at the same time felt cold, too cold for him. He groggily opened his eyes and found himself in a small wooden room, again. He looked the way the wind was coming from and realized that the window was open. Outside it was dark and he could see some faint stars. He started shivering, and he was unfamiliar with feeling the cold. He sat down in the bed, aiming to stand up, and this time he managed it. His legs were shaking and weak and his head still spun around, but he ignored it and tried to reach a mirror. He needed to confirm the theory he had, although it was already proved in a ninety percent.

He reached the door using the wall to support him. In the corner of the room, however, he found a very familiar shape. It was a large wooden stick curved at the top. It was Jack's staff. He quickly reached for it, as quickly as his weak legs and dizzy head could take him, and grabbed it. He loved the feeling his staff produced on him, to hold the familiar wood in his hands once again, yet it still felt different. His staff once felt alive with power, it was the way he transmitted his own, but now it wasn't alive. It felt dead, like the piece of wood it really was, and that shocked Jack.

He resumed his quest to find a mirror. He reached the door again, this time using his staff as support, and exited the room. There weren't any lights, or candles in that case, on and Jack figured that his family had gone to sleep. He was going to the bathroom, to see if there was a mirror there, but a familiar yet forgotten scent caught his attention first. His stomach growled and he swallowed hard. It had been a long time since he felt the pains of hunger because as a spirit he didn't need food to survive the way humans did. But now, and after sleeping for the whole winter, he figured it was only natural for him to feel hungry.

Jack followed the scent, which led him to a small table in a small kitchen. He recognized it all, even some dents in the wood that he accidentally made a few years ago when he learned to use a knife to skin the prey his father brought home from the daily hunt. In top of the table was a plate with what he guessed was his food. It was covered with another plate to prevent it from cooling down too fast, although he could see it had lost its heat already.

Next to it was a note and Jack recognized Pippa's handwriting:

_Jack, here are some leftovers from dinner. You were soundly asleep and we didn't want to wake you up, so I saved some in case you get hungry. Love, Pippa._

Jack felt touched by his little sister's act, and he felt his beating heart skip a beat. It had been a long time since he felt so warm inside, so welcome, so needed. He decided he didn't care what was happening; he decided he wanted to live through it even if it ended and it hurt him. He wanted to feel at home once again, but not just any home; his home. He sat down in the table and uncovered the dish. His mom did prepare his favorite: meat broth. What he loved about the dish is that it always used different meat, according to what his dad brought home.

He gulped the broth in five big mouthfuls. Behind him he heard a light chuckle. He turned around and saw Pippa. "I see you did get hungry, huh?" she teased and neared him. Jack didn't reply, he just pulled her close and hugged her. She was taken aback by the sudden hug but she soon hugged him back.

There in the middle of the night, with the stars as witnesses, Jack Frost… no, Jackson Overland whispered at his sister so that only she could hear "I missed you." She didn't reply, she just hugged him tighter, and there they stood with each other. Each one in their private thoughts, but together nonetheless, were thinking the same thing: _I wish this moment could last forever._

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__**That's it for chapter two! Please review and tell me when I can improve. Ideas are also welcome and if I can add or adapt them to the story I will. I really wish to know your opinion, I'll try to update as soon as possible. Thank you!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! I can't tell you how happy I am that you like my story so much. It really isn't what I expected when I started it, so I thank you yet again, guys. This is more than what I could have ever asked for. Here we go with chapter three! Enjoy!**

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Chapter Three

Jack woke up welcomed by the sunlight. It had already been three days since he woke up in his home and he never felt so good. His body was regaining its former strength, although he still used the staff as support. Pippa managed to spread the news of his brother recover quicker than the wind, and that was saying something. Soon, everyone in the village wanted to meet him and see the "miracle" for themselves. His long forgotten friends had also come to see him, and he felt so good that they remembered him. He still was getting used to the idea that three hundred years never really happen, but he still felt the loneliness as a physical thing. To feel loved like that was the most amazing thing for him; he had already forgotten what it was like.

The most valuable moment for him was when his father finally saw him awake. His strong arms wrapped around Jack's thin frame in bone crushing hug, most like North's, but better, warmer and stronger. His father was, after all, a hunter. And in the winter he also cut trees and brought wood to light the fireplace. His dad even shed a few tears of joy. Jack couldn't help but hug him back and tight. He had never felt happier.

That day he was going to go outside for the first time in three days, and he couldn't hold his excitement back. It was contagious. His father had gone earlier in the morning to hunt; then he would return earlier to take Jack to the market with him, where he would sell the prey that wasn't needed at home. He paced and walked around the house excitedly, helping his mom with chores and playing a bit with his sister. The snow he loved so much was melting, giving in to welcome the spring.

Jack decided to wait until Easter and then he'd try to talk to Bunnymund, until then he would relax and enjoy. Two things he knew very well how to do. To his mother was strange that he was so willing to do chores but she didn't complain. Something had happened while he was asleep, something had changed him, and she was going to figure out what when the time came.

Pippa too seemed to be happier and calmer. She had tortured herself thinking it had been all her fault to begin with, and had been gloomy ever since, but now that her brother was back she felt happy again. His enthusiasm was contagious, and everyone in the house was a little bit more alive than before. How they had missed him.

When the sun was almost in the middle of the sky, around eleven o' clock, Jack's father arrived back home. Jack went to greet him, hopping and jumping all around in excitement. Well, as well as he could with his staff and body still a bit weak. Still, his mood wouldn't be ruined by his limitations. He lived with them before, he could now. He just wanted to stay with his family for as long as he could. His father just laughed at his excitement. He too felt relieved and happy around Jack; after all, he had his son back.

"Ready to go son?" he asked with that powerful voice of him.

"Yeah" replied an overexcited Jack. He grabbed a new cloak his mother made for him after the other one ruined with the cold water and put it on. It fitted him perfect and he loved it. Then he grabbed his staff again and he followed his father out of the house.

"Be safe" his mother yelled at them, just like the day Jack died… almost died… whatever.

"Of course mom!" he replied. His mother flinched at the memory of that fateful day, when Jack had replied exactly the same thing and got back to the house in the arms of a stranger soaking wet and barely breathing. It had been a hard day for everyone, especially Pippa, who watched it all from the beginning to the end. She pushed the feeling aside, fearing that those dark thought might cause another incident, and closed the door after waving her husband and son goodbye.

Meanwhile, Jack walked amazed through the town. It was buzzing with activity and it remembered to him an older version of what a mall looked like when there were sales. Many people stared at him wide eyed, but recovered quickly and waved at him. Jack knew most of the faces for it was a small town, but most of the names he didn't. It felt so nostalgic to be there walking with his dad. In the way they chatted. His dad tried to talk him into hunting and following up the family business. Jack remembered how he had rejected that idea so many times before, wanting to explore the world and getting out of that small town. Now that he had explored the world in every possible way and had fun until he could no more, he decided it wasn't such a bad idea to be like his dad. He smiled at that possibility, because after all this years he had learned to look up to his dad. He had missed him so much.

They arrived at the market, and Jack caught a glimpse of his friends playing a bit further away. They saw him too and came rushing, smiling, at him. "Jack! Welcome back!" one of them said. "Are you on your tracks again? That's great!" another added. "Now we can have a real snowball fight with the little snow that's left!" said another one. Just nodded and talked in between their words because everyone was talking at the same time. Suddenly, his father put a hand on his shoulder and looked at the children in front of him. He looked at him saying: _If you want to go and play, go and play! You're still young and they missed you. Just go._

Jack just nodded happily and followed his friends to a near clearing filled with snow. He was amazed. Immediately he grabbed a fistful of snow and threw it to his nearest friend. "Oh, you're on!" the other teen replied and made a snowball of his own and aimed at Jack. However, he shielded himself behind another of his friends and the snowball hit that teen straight in the face. Then it began an all-out war of snow between the teens. When they were panting and collapsing on the ground they finally stopped. Jack's legs could barely support him and he felt that the staff could break if he supported too much of his weight on it. Then his dad appeared in the entrance of the clearing. "Come on Jack, time to go home. Your mom is waiting for us," called his dad out for him. Jack finally stood up after some struggling with his feet and his staff. When he reached out for his dad he hugged him by the shoulders, acting as an extra support for him. Jack waved his friends goodbye and leaned against his father.

"Had a fun day?" he asked his son.

"You have no idea, dad. It was awesome!" Jack told his dad, who just laughed in response. He notices his son was behaving… different. He said some things and acted different than most teenagers that time. He wondered why, not even suspecting that Jack's behavior was most influenced by the twenty first century. They arrived home at sundown and were greeted by Pippa and Mom. They hugged and when they got in the house jack plumped down in a chair. He fell so hard that his staff too fell to the ground. Pippa and his mother chuckled. "Tired much?" she asked him jokingly.

"Yes. We had a snowball fight, the guys and I. I hadn't had much fun since Jamie and…" _Ups,_ Jack thought, _they know nothing about Jamie. He doesn't even exist yet! _"…never mind. The point is that we had the funniest and most intense snowball fight of all times and I got really tired," he tried to cover up, but his family didn't fell for it.

"Who's this Jamie you mentioned? No one in the village is called like that," Pippa asked him. Jack felt a lump forming in his throat. How could he explain his family he had died and waited three centuries to meet his first believer called Jamie? And that he was like a little brother to him? Jack thought for a while before coming up with the best excuse he could think up.

"It's someone I met in a dream, I think. You know, when I was asleep…" and so, he started to tell the story of Jack Frost to his family, who listened with great interested as they ate their dinner. He told it in the form of a dream, as if it had never happened, and his family seemed very interested in it. "And so, I fell asleep in top of a tree near the lake and woke up here," he finished his tale. His family was awestruck and couldn't believe such a story had come up from their son.

"It sure is some story, son. Where did you hear it?" his father asked him.

"I didn't. I dreamt about it; me being Jack Frost," Jack explained and he saw how his parents exchanged a worried look between them. Then, as quickly as it had come, it was replaced by smiley faces and laughter.

"Well, you have a very vivid imagination" his mother told him while picking up the dished to wash them.

"Yes, you should tell it the bonfire we're holding the night before Easter. You know the one where we sleep in the clearing so that we wake up and start the egg hunt as fast as possible," Pippa told him. For a while he considered the option, telling everyone his own story, without knowing it was his own. Finally, he nodded and his family cheered.

"I just have to adjust some details so that it doesn't seem like a dream and then it'll be done;" Jack smiled and stood up. His knees failed him and he almost fell face down to the floor, but Pippa caught him just in time. She helped him to his room and left so that he could sleep.

Jack laid down on the bed preparing to sleep and his hand unconsciously flew to his chest. There he felt something. He reached for it inside his shirt and he saw the necklace Tooth had given him. _What? _He thought. In three days he hadn't even noticed it was there, how come he only felt it now? He had almost forgotten about it. _If Jack Frost never existed, why do I still have this? Why do I have Tooth's gift if I haven't met her yet?_

Jack went to sleep thinking precisely about the last night he spent in the twenty first century. The party celebrating his first year as a guardian, joining Tooth on her way home, Tooth giving him the gift, falling asleep on that tree; and strangely enough, that was the _only_ things he thought about before falling asleep in his warm and cozy bed.

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**This is it for chapter three, I hope you all liked it. Please Review! Thank you all again, the readers, the followers, the favorites, the reviewers, everyone! Until next chapter, I'll upload as soon as I can! I think this chapter is a little shorter than the last, for that I apologize, and to make up for it the next chapter will be longer than the previous.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello guys! You have no idea how you inspire me to work on this story. Thank you again for the support your giving me. I'm happy you like the story and I hope you keep on reading it. Here we go wit chapter four! Enjoy!**

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Chapter Four

Jack woke up welcomed by a cold breeze. He couldn't shake the feeling that it wanted to tell him something, but he couldn't tell what. It was the sixth day after his miracle recovery and he was happy… maybe too happy, to be precise. With each passing day in his home, with his family, he convinced himself more that everything he lived in three hundred years had been a dream. He still couldn't explain why he still had the necklace Tooth gave him, but he didn't mind much. It was a pretty necklace and he liked it, so he figured that he might as well just keep it. He was adapting to normality at an alarming rate, almost forgetting that he once was able to fly with the wind and travel around the world bringing the snow into the Earth.

His family nonetheless was thrilled. Slowly the Jackson they knew, the Jack he had been before the accident in the ice, was coming back. For example, Jack realized how boring was to do the chores in the house and how fun it was to sneak out with his friends and play pranks. Soon enough he started ditching his chores, or trading them, and going outside to play with the other teens. He returned to pranking and teasing his little sister, almost forgetting what it was like to almost lose her and to be without her for three centuries. He was forgetting the feeling of loneliness, making himself believe that it was too painful to remember. He was becoming human again, a teenager. He started to give everything for granted.

No later than sooner Easter arrived; the snow on the ground was water and it created dirty puddles for the teens to jump on and spill the dirty water to everyone around. Jack knew he had to do something on Easter, but he couldn't remember exactly what or why was it important. He only wanted to have fun. All day long the teen and his little sister prepared what was needed for the bonfires and sleepover in the clearing, and also to the Easter Egg Hunt the next day. They were more than excited. Jack started to hang around with his staff at all times without needing it for support any longer, not knowing why not having it made him feel uneasy. He was starting to forget his days as the winter spirit, and even worse, his days as a guardian.

When the sun was setting Pippa and Jack took off the clearing, waving their mother goodbye while promising her to be safe. They arrived at the same time the other teens and children in the village did, and Pippa tugged Jack's sleeve to tell him something in his ear. "Remember to tell the story tonight at the bonfire," she just whispered to him before running off to meet her own friends. At first he was confused, and then he remembered the dreamlike story he told his family some night ago. For a reason it seemed important, although Jack couldn't put the finger on that.

When all the children were gathered around the bonfire, which was blazing in all its glory, Jack stood up and went to where everyone could hear him. All eyes fell on him, but he didn't get nervous. He was Jackson Overland, he never got nervous. He felt the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he had other name, although that idea now seemed ridiculous for him. He started his tale.

"This is the tale of a boy" he began with a low voice that called for attention and suspense. The spectators moved in their seats to get more comfortable, and the few people that were standing sat down. "The name of this boy is Jack… Frost. How he came to be is a mystery, but there is a legend that says that he once used to be like us. Jack Frost is the spirit of winter, he creates blizzards, and he brings the snow. He plays pranks on everyone all the time, only caring about having fun. When he was human, a teenage boy much like me" he added a presumptuous grin for effect "he fell into a frozen lake. He drowned down there in the ice all alone, surrounded by darkness." That part of the tale sent a shiver down his spine, as if it was a reminder of something that happened a long time ago that brought unpleasant feelings for him.

"But something, or someone, took pity on the boy. The moon resurrected him, got him out from the bottom of the lake and Jack was reborn as Jack Frost, the bringer of winter," Jack was getting uneasy with the path the story was taking, and he still had that nagging feeling on the back of his mind trying to tell him something. "He was amazed by his new powers but he had no memory of being human. He found a staff, like this one," he took his and showed it around the kids. "With it he could create beautiful frost patterns in different surfaces and he could also freeze the water. The wind became his best friend, who carried him away and helped him fly. His first flight was a disaster with an embarrassing landing, but on his defense he didn't knew how to control his powers yet. He landed in a small town and tried to talk to the people; you know, ask for directions and look for people who might know him. But when he tried to talk to someone, that someone could not see him. And so it was with every other person he tried to talk to. Suddenly, a common passerby not realizing what he was doing walked straight into Jack;" there multiple gasps of the children, who now were completely inside the story. They loved it. "However he walked through him. The passerby walked straight through Jack as if he was not even there. As you might imagine, it was devastating for him to know he was invisible. He flew away from the scene and back to the pond where he had died and being reborn. There he could see the moon clearly and he asked it 'Why? Why would you give me life if no one can see me?' yet, the moon remained silent. He flew again someplace else, trying to get someone to acknowledge him, but no one did. He realized that with every arrival to any town, snowflakes fell delicately and the temperature dropped; he realized he brought the winter to the town he stepped on. He couldn't be much on the sun or the heat but he could swim in frozen ponds at midnight. He started snowball fights and made a mess everywhere he went trying to tell the people there to notice him" he stopped to catch his breath. He had taken a serious tone and every person hearing the story was hanging from it. He remained silent for a moment, letting his words and his story sink in while he thought about the whole story. For some reason, when he told it, it didn't seem like a story or a dream anymore. He took a deep breath and decided he would later think about that, for then he had a story to finish.

"That way he spent the next two centuries, flying over the world on his own, bringing the winter, having fun, but inside longing for someone to believe he was real. Then one day he made a discovery. He met other spirits just like him, but they were seen and believed by the people. I'm sure you've all heard about them. They are the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny," he thought of cracking a joke about how he looked like the Easter Kangaroo, but he figured they wouldn't understand. And then he thought he didn't understand it himself. Why would he call a bunny a kangaroo? He pushed this thinking aside and continued with his story. "The Sandman and Santa Claus," the kids gasped in surprise and awe, recognizing those characters they all believed in. The look of wonder in their faces reminded Jack of a big fat man with that same expression those kids had. "Jack grew jealous. He wanted to be believed in like them, he wanted to be seen and heard of. He never met them until later; all of them except the Easter bunny. His real name was E. Aster Bunnymund. Now we go to a year very far from here in a town very different from this. With tall structures called buildings and very few tears. It was the year of ninety sixty eight, on Easter day, just like today. Jack wanted to have some fun, and he decided he'd mess with the nearest being that could see him: the Easter Bunny.

"The day started like any other, sunny and beautiful; perfect for the Easter egg hunt" he grinned mischievously, lost in that memory. "And then I-mmm…-Jack arrived. Immediately the temperature dropped, snow started to fall. He summoned wind and clouds. Soon, the perfect sunny day had turned into the perfect snowy day. Still, it wasn't enough for the children to call off the hunting. The Easter Bunny was fuming and he swore that he would get Jack to pay for what he did. Jack, deciding it wasn't enough, created a blizzard to piss off the Bunny. It worked very well and the kids wind up going home. They did manage to find some Easter eggs but were very disappointed on the weather. The Bunny had to work fast to save Easter, so he started to hide the eggs inside the houses. Easter was saved in the end and the children still believed in him, but the Easter Bunny was very angry at Jack. Their argument wouldn't end for years" the children laughed and smiled. "Okay, dinner time. I'll wrap up the story once we eat," Jack said and everyone groaned. They wanted to keep on listening to the story but he just wouldn't. He was the story teller, he was thirsty and hungry. The story could wait.

Jack went to the bench his sister was on and grabbed some of the food their mother had sent them in the basket they'd use the next day. "So, what do you think?" he asked Pippa. She swallowed the food before answering.

"I think it's great! Everyone loves it, Jack," Pippa told him smiling. He smiled back at her, but was distracted by the rustling of a bush behind him. "What's wrong Jack?" Pippa asked him, slightly worried.

"Nothing, wait here while I go check up on something" Jack replied and stood up. He went to the forest behind him, following the slight noises made by something moving fast. He started to run and suddenly he winded up at the pond. He looked around but found nothing. He was turning to leave when someone called him out: "Good to see you haven't forgotten us yet mate," it was a male voice behind him. Jack turned around and there he saw Bunnymund, who had a pissed expression on his face.

"What? How? You… are you…" he searched his memory and yes, it fit the one of the blizzard. "You are the Easter Kangaroo!" Jack exclaimed and Bunnymund snorted. So that's the reason he would call a bunny a kangaroo, just by looking at its size.

"I see you are still the same annoying brat as always," Bunny snorted.

"So… why are you here? It doesn't make any sense, I'm not Jack Frost. I… I haven't even met you yet, I… I didn't dream it, did I?" Jack mustered to himself, looking down puzzled. Again, he started to question if it had really been a dream or not, and if it wasn't then what was he doing there. It was all so confusing for him.

"I'm here to deliver a message: Time is running out and you will have to make a choice. Choose wisely," Bunny replied, pulling Jack out of his thoughts, and then tapped the floor three times. Immediately after a hole big enough for Bunny to fit in there opened and he was ready to go.

"Wait, what? A choice about what? Don't leave like this!" Jack asked puzzled.

"Sorry mate, can say no more, bye bye," Bunny said after hopping into the hole and disappearing. _A choice? _Jack thought. _About what? When? He said time is running out, but how much do I have left?_

Jack returned to the bonfire and was greeted by his worried sister, who hugged him tight. "Where were you? You had us worried for a minute there," Pippa told him.

"Us?" Jack asked confused and then looked around. Everyone in the clearing had their eyes on him. He could see the faint trace of a frown before someone patted him on the back strongly.

"Of course, we thought you had ditched us not to finish the story!" his friend joked. "Now that you're back, let the story continue," he finished and soon everyone was seated waiting for the story to begin anew. Jack walked up to the spot in the center where he had been before. He cleared his throat and began, pushing his doubts and the reunion with Bunnymund to the back of his mind.

"The second part of this magical tale is about a battle. A battle between the guardians and the nightmare king: Pitch Black, the boogeyman" at the mention of that name the kids shivered and flinched, and Jack had to fight hard against the feeling of wanting to hide. "Three centuries had gone by since Jack became the winter spirit, and one fateful night he met his nemesis: the Easter Bunny," everyone laughed at the comment and Jack smiled. He told the story of how he became a guardian, how they encountered Pitch Black in the palace of Tooth, how he figured out a way to recover his memories, how they all helped to finish the Eggs in time for Easter, how Jack screwed up, his encounter with Pitch, when he remembered and fixed his staff, how they battled Pitch in their weak state and how human children helped them win. Jack told them about Jamie, Sophie and their friends and it felt as if someone had clutched hard at his heart. When he finished the story everyone clapped. They knew now about Jack Frost, the bringer of winter and the Guardian of Fun. His teen friends asked him how had he come up with such a story, and he just told them that he dreamt it when he was unconscious. They seemed convinced and then everyone went to sleep.

Before closing his eyes completely, Jack thought he saw in the forest a black horse with gleaming yellow eyes. He blinked, and when he looked again, it was gone. He lay down on the sheet he brought for himself while he watched everyone doing the same. After a while, when everyone was sleeping, Jack couldn't seem to drift away. He was roaming over all the questions he had avoid until then, he thought about Bunny and what he had said and about the dark horse he saw in the woods.

Something was going to happen, and Jack knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

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**So, what do you think? Are you eager to know what will happen next? I hope so, because it's going to be good! On monday I return to high school after a long vacation, so maybe the updates won't be as daily as they are now, but do not worry. I'll keep on writing and updating as much as I can as soon as I can. Thank you again for the support, please Review! See you on the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again guys! You are seriously awesome and wonderful and just amazing, really. I never expected this story to get so big, but thanks to you it has. Thanks for your support, your follows, your reviews; it maked me believe I'm doing a good job whether its true or not. Thank you a lot and I hope to keep pleasing you with the turnouts in the story. Here we go with chapter five! A very long long chapter to please you all! Enjoy!**

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Chapter Five

The next day Easter arrived. Jack woke up early along with the other children and teens to look for the Easter eggs, or at least that's what everyone was doing. Jack was looking for something similar yet very different: E. Aster Bunnymund. He had to meet him again because he needed to get all the questions out of his head. He did know about him, Bunny did remember Jack Frost, but that fact only brought more unsolved questions to Jack. ¿Why did the Bunny remember him? ¿Why was Jack alive as a human and living with his family? ¿If Bunny remembered him, does that mean Tooth and the other guardians did as well?

However, soon the sun was setting and Jack had found no trace of the Bunny. Pippa came running at him with a basket full of Easter Eggs, smiling and jumping around in excitement. "Jack, Jack, Jack! Look!" she said and showed him the basket. Inside were at least fifteen colored eggs and Jack recognized the painting of some from the time he and the guardians went to help Bunny on the night before Easter. Even young Sophie was there, and while Jack thought about that a pang of pain crossed his heart. Still, Jack was very good at hiding his emotions, so he just smiled and praised his little sister. "Show me how many you got," she asked him while looking for his own basket. A frown crossed her face when he showed it to her and found that he only had three colored eggs inside. "Jack what's going on? This isn't like you, you always find the most eggs on Easter and brag about it to everyone," she told him worriedly.

It was true that Pippa had caught his brother acting a little strange ever since he woke up, but he figured he would just return to normal after a while. He was already returning to be the old Jackson everyone knew, but after the story the day before, he had gone back to acting strange. It was not normal for Jack to act that way. He just shrugged, not really minding it. Then he realized that he did grow up in the three hundred years of solitude, for he knew when to identify life-or-death situations from those that weren't. That, for example, wasn't life-or-death. Finding the Bunny, yes it was. "I guess I'm just tired, I guess" he replied and reclined on his staff as to prove his sister that he wasn't in his best shape just yet. That seemed convincing enough for her, even when Jack had been just acting. "Come one, let's get back home. The woods… are dangerous at night," he told her, the last part almost in a whisper, as if to keep _someone_ else from listening. Pippa was going to say something else, but Jack was already walking his way out of the woods at a fast pace and she had to run to catch up to him.

"Jack, are you okay?" she asked him, testing if his brother would tell her what he was hiding, but he just shrugged it off. He was pissed he couldn't find Aster when he needed him, it was Easter! When would he find him if not then? _Maybe I could make myself lose a tooth on purpose and see if I can make any contact with Toothiana_, but he soon rejected the idea for he didn't know how he was going to explain the reasons he wanted to receive a punch hard, and painful, enough to get the tooth out. "Oh, then I suppose you don't want to hear about our adventure today, do you?" Pippa teased, trying to get his brother back into the mood.

"What did you do?" He asked half-heartedly, much to Pippa's disappointment.

"Oh, no, I won't tell you with the mood you have. You'll ruin the whole story," she said and walked faster, and now she was walking ahead of him in the direction of the town. Jack sighed. He hated disappointing his sister or making her upset.

"What did you do today, Pippa?" He asked again, trying to get interested in the story if not for him, for his sister's sake.

"We saw the Easter Bunny," she replied plainly, stopping Jack on his tracks.

"What?" he asked, as if he couldn't wrap his mind around that fact. _Maybe it's true that when you do not look for something, then you find it._

"We saw something in the bushes, it was moving fast. We chased after it, but soon lost it. I don't know if it was the Easter Bunny, but a kid in the group said he saw a fluffy tail," she explained. Jack's mood went down as fast as it went up. In the end it wasn't the Bunny he was looking for. It might have been a kit of some rabbit in the forest and the children thought it was the Easter Bunny, but he knew for a fact that a kangaroo that size couldn't possibly hide in the bushes and run around without the kids noticing its real height. Still, even when Jack felt disappointed and upset, he had to make his sister believe he wasn't.

"And what do you think? Do you think it was the Easter Bunny?" Jack asked with all the interest he could muster at the moment.

"I don't know, but it would be nice to think it was him," she replied with a smile on her face and Jack couldn't help but smile too at the innocence of his younger sister. They walked the rest of the way in silence and by the time the first stars where coming out, they were at the door of their house. They waved the other children goodbye before opening the door, where their mother went to greet them with a big smile on her face.

"So, how did you do at the hunting?" she asked with genuine interest.

Immediately, Pippa started telling her in detail everything that happened since they left the house the night before. She told their mom about the bonfire, about the story, about the hunt, about the Bunny. All the while she told the story in a way her mother wouldn't suspect Jack was acting any weirder than the normal, and he thanked her for that but didn't speak. In her mind Pippa was cursing because he needed her brother to interrupt her or to correct her version of the story, but he just stayed silent. In her mid she was thinking _Great, all this acting so that he can spoil everything by being quiet. What's wrong with him?_

Jack, oblivious completely to her sister's plan and to the big suspicion he was arising in their mother, kept quiet. He was half listening to Pippa and half lost in his own thought. The next day he would go out alone to the woods to look again for that cryptic Bunny that was starting to piss him off. When he had enough, he excused himself and went to his bedroom, interrupting for the first time the story Pippa was telling their mom. Both females looked at him puzzled but didn't say anything. Once he was gone, the questions began.

"So, Pippa, tell me what bug bit your brother?" her mother asked innocently.

"What do you mean?" Pippa replied, half because she didn't understand the expression her mom used and half because deep down she knew what she meant but she didn't want to tell her.

"I mean what is going on with your brother? He seems… different. He seems troubled," her mother told her gently, a glimpse of worry in her chestnut eyes.

_Busted!_ Pippa told. "Well, he… amm, he… he…" she sighed. "I don't know mom, he began acting weird after dinner yesterday. His story had a break in the middle where we ate, but he suddenly got up and went to the woods by himself telling me that he would be back soon. He barely touched his food, and when he got back he had a big frown on his face. He also looked at me as if I were unreal, as if he couldn't believe he was there with us," she explained in defeat. She didn't want to tell her mother all that because she would worry, and it might bring trouble to Jack. She didn't want that. Her mother sighed deeply and looked at her hands, which were resting on top of the table.

"So you're also noticed your brother's strange behavior," she said sadly.

"You… you too?" Pippa asked puzzled. Her mother already suspected? Why didn't she tell anything sooner?

"Sweetie, I'm a mother; not only a mother, but his mother. I know when something is bothering my children, it's my job" her mother told her while putting her hand on Pippa's cheek.

Pippa smiled. "I guess you do, then" she replied her and her mother nodded while she was caressing her daughter's cheek with her thumb. "But I don't think he'll tell us anything, mom, and that frightens me," she confessed.

"Well, let's just give him some time. He might come around if we leave him be," replied her mom and that was enough to calm Pippa's soul. "Now help me prepare dinner, your father will arrive soon," and she nodded.

Back into his room, Jack sat in the bed and thought about what had happened in the woods. What puzzled him the most was the horse he saw lingering in the woods. For his memories he knew that it was actually made out of dark dream sand, of nightmares, but he also knew that the Boogeyman had been defeated by none other than him. Then he remembered the bonfire and the way the children flinched at the mention of Pitch Black. His eyes widened when he thought about what he had done. Jack feared that because of that story, Pitch Black would rise again by feeding in the fear of those children. It didn't make any sense to him, because Pitch wasn't supposed to ever come back, but then again his life had stopped making sense a while ago.

Then he remembered the Bunny's warning: there is no time left. Had Bunny tried to warn him about Pitch's return? Jack couldn't dwell on it any longer; he had to see for himself. He had to look for that black horse and try to figure out if it meant Pitch was gaining strength or if it was just a stray nightmare. The later he thought was very unlikely. So, in a swift motion Jack put on his cloak and grabbed his staff. Almost no one knew, but he didn't need it to walk anymore, although he still faked it. No human being healed that fast, which brought again the question: was he Jack Frost the guardian or Jackson Overland the human?

Jack opened the door of his room ever so slightly and took a glimpse. His mother and sister were busy making dinner. The smell of the food made his stomach growl and it tightened in hunger, but he couldn't stay for dinner that night. "I'm sorry," he whispered to them in a low voice, knowing they would be hurt and worried once they figured out he was gone. Hopefully, nothing was wrong and by dawn he would be back in his house, his parents would scold him, he'd promise never to do it again and that would be it. On the dark side it might also be the last time he would see Pippa or her mother again. He didn't want to think like that and he didn't want his family to deal with him in danger again, yet he couldn't just leave that nightmare on its own. He would find a way to defeat it even when he didn't have his powers anymore.

Jack closed the door again slowly so that it wouldn't make any noise and he turned to the window. He took a step and the wood made a hard noise. He cursed under his breath and took off his new shoes, which used to belong to his father. Although he was used to walk barefoot, his mother wouldn't let him out of the house without shoes, so she gave them to him. He looked at them sadly, because it was a gift her mother gave him and he treasured it, more because those shoes were once used by his dad.

Now barefoot, and therefore lighter, he walked to window. He smiled when no more wood cracked under his weight and he was soon running though the village heading to the woods in the silence of the night. He never realized how cold the ground really was, because he never felt cold. Now that he could, he really regretted not bringing the shoes, but he couldn't go back and risk his parents finding out.

After some minutes of running Jack arrived to the clearing where did the bonfire panting. He never grew tired either, so now it was hard for him to acknowledge that his legs hurt while running and that he needed to stop to catch his breath. When he recovered he looked around where the forest began; he explored every inch on the border in hopes he would find something, anything, that would lead him to get some answers.

After a while he was beginning to give up. His feet ached and were cold, he had scratches in his legs and hands from walking in the bushes, the cold crept into his skin and made him shiver and the strongest of all was that he was tired. He just wanted to go back to his house and sleep under the warm covers. But maybe the answers were even most important because he didn't stop there. He tried getting further into the woods and as the night passed Jack expanded the territory he's use for his search. It was getting harder and harder, he almost couldn't see anything there and the path between trees was too narrow even for his thin frame to fit.

Then he heard noises in the distance. He thought he was imagining things, until he heard a very dark and sinister laugh. He followed the noises while hiding in the bushed. He recognized that smile, and with it his own fears coming true. Still he wasn't going to give Pitch the satisfaction of fearing him. He took a deep breath before continuing and tried to calm down. He managed after a few more breaths and he told himself that he already knew the Boogeyman and had fought and won. He could sneak up on him without him noticing as long as he wasn't afraid. And so far he managed pretty well.

He resumed his crawling in the bushes until he arrived near enough to listen and watch, but far enough to keep hidden from Pitch. He could barely see him because he was surrounded by black horses with gleaming yellow eyes. He tried to keep his breath steady and he controlled himself. If any one of those nightmares caught at least a little bit of fear in him it would be the end. He focused on Pitch and his words.

"How naïve and fool of that boy. Only he thought it would be wise to tell a bunch of kids a story about the Boogeyman. Well, thanks to that, I'm finally back, isn't that right my beautiful nightmares?" The horses nodded unsynchronized, but in the end they understood what Pitch was telling them. "Now go and hunt the dreams of the children! Raise the fear and make me stronger! Jack Frost will regret the moment he was born, or my name is not Pitch Black!" Pitch exclaimed and soon all the nightmares flew in all directions. Some were heading to Jack's town; others were heading in the opposite direction.

Jack swallowed and started to back off slowly to return to his home. A twig snapped under his right foot and Jack flinched at the noise. Pitch didn't turn to his direction, and Jack sighed in relief when he saw the Boogeyman disappear in his hole.

Unbeknown to Jack, Pitch did know he was watching and listening. He could feel the small fear he couldn't suppress because, after all, fear is always there. But if Pitch wanted his game of cat and mouse to go smoothly he needed to play blind for a while. In the meantime, Jack kept retreating further away from Pitch's lair at a fast but silent pace. He couldn't believe what he had seen, and a part of his mind did tell him that it was suspicious that Pitch didn't hear the snap. Nevertheless he hadn't the time to dwell on that in that moment, he needed to get back home. Then he'd think things through in the quiet of his room, after all he might be grounded for living in the middle of the night.

He came to a stop suddenly when he saw a nightmare in front of him. Jack tried to run in the opposite direction, but another nightmare blocked his way. He looked around him and realized he was surrounded by nightmares. He needed to get through and he decided to run forward and try to pass through the small gap between two horses. He counted to three and he launched himself to the nightmares. Yet he didn't see the end of it. The nightmare moved out of the way enough to reveal a steep slope with edgy rocks. He tried to stop but the speed and strength he had were enough to send the teen rolling down the slope. He twisted and turned in an unstoppable frenzy until he reached the bottom. He was only aware of the pain in his limbs, in his whole body, especially in his head before passing out right there, far from his home, far from his town, far from his family.

He was, once again, all alone.

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**So what did you think? Was it good? Was it bad? Am I such a mean author to leave you all hanging in there with an ending like that? Please review! Any comments and questions are welcome, or even a PM. See you all in the next chapter. I hope I can still upload daily, but I'll do my best.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! This chapter is a little shorter than the previous, but I believe is as intense and even more. I thank you again for following the story up to this point and I hope you all like the way things are going. I feel the end is nearing, so look forward to it. I'll try to update as soon as I can because now I am in school and such. Now here is chapter six. Enjoy!**

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Chapter Six

Jack woke up with a throbbing headache. He opened his eyes slowly and tried to stand up, only to fall back on his knees again. He looked around and found himself in a narrow path surrounded by rocks. He looked up and saw the giant slope he had been rolling down from and his memories of last night returned fast. He tried to stand up and he didn't let himself fall. He couldn't allow that for he needed to get back to the village and fast. Pitch had spread his nightmares and no one was safe anymore. He looked up at the sky and realized it was already day time, which worried him greatly. Luckily he would make it back by sundown, although he doubted he would with his body in that condition. There were no broken bones, but there sure were many injuries that started to bleed as soon as he started to move.

He tried to climb the slope back up, finding it an extremely difficult task at the moment. He tried to look around for another way besides climbing and he saw a path covered by the bushes. He saw where it was headed and decided he would take longer to reach his home if he take that detour, but he had no other choice; he simply couldn't climb. He walked slowly, lacking the support of his staff which he had lost in the running the night before. He stopped only one time when he found a stream and he drank from it. He also washed his wounds, trying to prevent an infection. Although if the infection was already there, little would it helps to wash it. He also grabbed some berries from a bush and ate after making sure they weren't poisonous. He managed to arrive back to his home way past sundown, as he had anticipated when he took the detour. He couldn't see much, but he could make out black sand coming from many of the houses of the children he knew and cared about. Many were at the bonfire with him. He had to do something. He took a step forward to head to his house and look for something to fight with and to make sure his sister was okay.

"Going somewhere?" A voice asked in the darkness. Jack recognized it as Pitch's. He turned around fast and moved his way, angrier at him than ever and forgetting for a moment about his fears.

"Get out of my town. Leave the children alone," Jack said in a low and dangerous tone, the thread tainting all the words.

"What if I don't?" Pitch resorted, knowing Jack had no weapon. "How are you going to _fight_ me without this?" He asked sarcastically, slowing down the speed on his voice on the word 'fight' to let know Jack he was mocking him, that Pitch didn't even consider him a serious threat. Then he showed Jack his staff, swinging it in his hands without a care in the world. Jack growled and gritted his teeth in frustration. "What happens? Do I leave you that speechless?" Pitch mocked again, clearly enjoying himself.

Rage won over Jack and he threw himself at Pitch, hoping to hit him in the gut and get his staff back. However, a rope made out of black sand appeared out of nowhere and tied itself around Jack's ankles, making him trip. Then it enlarged itself and tied itself more around the boy's frame. Soon the rope had him unable to move, the only part free of sand being his head. Pitch chuckled coldly and a shiver ran down Jack's spine. He was completely under Pitch's mercy, and that was not something pretty. Jack struggled with the rope, feeling his force fading under the nightmares, and then feeling hopeless. And then, just as he looked up, he saw Pitch standing in front of him. He didn't have time to mutter a single word before Pitch sprinkled him with his dark sand and Jack fell asleep into a dream full of nightmares and fear.

And so Jack dreamt. He dreamt of his life, as Jackson Overland and as Jack Frost. He saw in his dreams all the bad moments he had to endure on his own, all the deceptions he ever felt, all the betrayals. Then, some of Pitch's trick was to use his memories against him, turning his ever good sister into a jealous girl who always told Jack awful stuff about how great would it have been if he had really drowned; after all, now she would have all the attention for herself and wouldn't be teased by his jerky older brother. Pitch was resourceful, and he didn't hold back on torturing Jack. When he finally woke up, he was feeling as exhausted as if he hadn't sleep in a century. His body was sore, still tied up, and it hurt from the injuries he got the day before. The day before…? Had another day already go by? Jack didn't know and he had no way of figuring out. He needed to get out of there, but he was still unable to move even a finger. He could feel the sand crawling into his open wounds, which disgusted him and hurt him even more.

Then he took a look around his surroundings. He was in a dark place he recognized, he was twice there before and he had hoped he wouldn't have to return never again: Pitch's hole. Jack realized he didn't have the black sand up to his neck anymore, it only reached his chest, and his legs were free except for the still tied ankles. Jack was also attached to a big pole behind him, with his back pressed tightly against it. Jack groaned as he tried to move something and he just couldn't. He had lost sensibility in his libs due to the lack of blood circulation.

"I see you are finally awake," Pitch's voice startled him. "I enjoyed you better in your sleep. The fear my nightmares gave you was so delightfully exquisite," he told Jack in teasing tone.

"What do you want Pitch?" Jack yelled at him, fury, anger, hate, sorrow, fear; all those emotions present in his voice.

"I thought you would have figured it out already," Pitch replied with false disappointment. "But, if you insist," in an instant he was arm length from Jack, using the shadows all over the place to travel from one place to another. "I want my revenge on you, Jack Frost, as well as on the guardians. At the same time I might even get ten times as stronger, isn't it wonderful?" he mocked Jack, who just scowled at him. "Oh, what's with the face? I haven't even told you the story leading up to this moment, have I? How rude of me, I apologize."

Pitch's constant mocking was pushing Jack over the edge. He felt silent anger boil up within him and in the very depths of his sous he thought he felt a tiny bit of cold. Still he had yet to realize this. Pitch didn't notice, or if he did he ignored it, having Jack pinned against a wall didn't make him a threat anymore; that without even counting the fact that he was human and powerless. Pitch would enjoy so much of this.

"It all begins with the Man in the Moon, as always" the king of nightmares continued. "He had this test planned for a young new guardian. He talked to the Master of Time, another ironically timeless being with power over time as you had over wind. According to them, everything that happens in the world could have happened differently; for example, a path with many roads to take. If someone walks down the farthest path, the other don't disappear; that someone could still return and take any of the others," Pitch let his words sink in, hoping it would shed some light on the subject for little human Jack.

On his part, Jack wanted to smack himself against the wall repeatedly for being that idiot. How could he have forgotten the test? They had talked about it the night before he winded up at his home! How could he have been so clueless all that time? Pitch, sensing the discomfort on Jack, just grinned and carried on.

"The Master of Time decided to help the Man in the Moon by isolating the needed time frame and create from there an alternate dimension in which the time could flow without being interrupted by the other events in time and space. On the meantime, the Man in the Moon went to you and locked up your powers as the winter spirit deeply inside yourself, to make sure you didn't unlock them by accident. That way he turned you back almost completely into a human and put you in the time frame he needed you. Then the test began." Jack was astonished and amazed by the story. He didn't know anyone could ever bend time and space at will, much less that the being in charge would agree to do it only for a test! He also couldn't believe his own stupidity and he really wanted now someone to smack him hard. "As you wish," he heard Pitch say before he felt a whip made of sand hit him hard across the face, like a very painful slap. Jack growled. "You asked for it, have you forgotten I can sense fear and angst in you?" Pitch replied and he couldn't help but groan in frustration.

"However," Pitch waved it off with a shake of his hand, "let me continue. As I was saying, the test began. It went smoothly at first, and you were playing right into their trick, but then that Easter Bunny went to warn you that time were almost over, even if that just puzzled you further. I took the opportunity to sneak in. I didn't know what I was going to do yet, but I just knew I just had to ruin this for you. Suddenly I felt my powers coming slowly back at me, and I neared the source of it. There, in a clearing, were a bunch of kids hearing a story about the scary boogeyman and how he was defeated. Nevertheless the seed was already there, and my powers were rising. The one telling the story was none other than… you, Jack" Pitch said nearing his face to the point where Pitch's nose could almost touch Jack's. The eyes of the later widened in realization and guilt: he had caused this. It was his fault. Pitch laughed at his response. "The rest you know because you lived it. And just for the record, when you were spying on me on the woods I did know you were there. I just decided to let you go for a little while."

Jack snorted at this. "Really?" he said sarcastically and skeptically.

"Oh, yeah" Pitch answered.

"And why's that?" Jack asked again, trying to unveil more the plot that was already unveiling on its own.

"So that I could run some errands for you," Pitch simply said while looking at his nails, as if it was the most common and boring thing to be doing at the moment. Jack didn't know what to answer at that; he knew what Pitch was capable of and feared whatever he might have done. "Oh, yes, you are so right to fear right now. I'll go get you your errands, now be a good boy and wait here for me," Pitch laughed and walked away, fading into the darkness that was consuming all around Jack.

After a few minutes, Jack heard screaming. "No! Let me go! Please, let me go," the voice begged. Jack's was drumming hard against his chest, almost making it hurt, while he silently begged for it not to be true; while he begged silently for his ears to be deceiving, for everything to be just a bad dream, an illusion that was unreal. Unfortunately for him, he had no such luck. Out of the darkness Pitch emerged again while dragging something with the same kind of rope that tied him to the pole; Jack's eyes widened in terror when he saw Pippa being dragged by the Nightmare King. He had her wrists tied and he pulled from that rope, almost humiliating, just like the people did to the slaves in ancient times. Other than that she was free an untied, she had a few scratches over here and there, but otherwise she seemed fine; frightened to death, but fine. Jack again let rage wash over him and again failed to notice the ice core deep down himself.

"Pitch, Let her go!" Jack wailed, fighting frenetically against the rope that had stopped him from ripping Pitch apart and hurting himself in the process. However Jack wasn't worried about him or his pain. He had to get Pippa back to safety as soon as he could. It was a life-or-death situation, not any better than when they were at the pond. Pitch's response was a cruel and cold laughed that could make even the strongest Yeti tremble.

"Jack…?" Jack heard Pippa ask shyly, her voice trembling. Jack cringed at her voice so scared and fragile and he cursed the Boogeyman with all his might.

"Oh, isn't this touching?" He mocked, making Pippa flinch and Jack growl. A fierce, deep sound coming from the back of his throat, much like any beast out there would do. His anger was plausible in the air, and Pippa felt for the first time in her life scared of her own brother. "You shouldn't behave yourself like that in front of the ladies," Pitch said referring to Pippa and moving aside so that Jack could see her well, "don't you see you are scaring her?"

Jack glimpsed only for a second at Pippa and saw how scared she was, but not only of the Boogeyman, but also of him. His gaze softened and he looked at her reassuringly, telling her with his eyes everything was going to be fine. Pippa's face lit up a bit when he recognized his brother and Jack almost sighed in relief at that. "Don't be scared, I'll get you out of here. I'll get us out of here," he told her, trying to sound as comforting as he did in the frozen pond, and she nodded.

Then, abruptly, Pitch stood in between them blocking Jack's view of Pippa and said in a harsh and cold tone. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Jack" he said and formed a whip out of sand. Then he hit Jack with it, again, harder and much more times. He did it on purpose in front of his sister so that she understood who was in charge down there and who the victim was. So far it was working, and when Pitch decided to finally stop and give a rest to the boy, he was honestly surprised when Jack lifted his head, looked at Pippa straight in the eyes, and smiled at her. Pitch couldn't feel any fear coming from the boy, even when he was tied up at his mercy and with his sister trapped and not much better than him. As if casting a spell, he also stopped feeling the fear from the girl. Pitch made a face and rolled his eyes in annoyance. He would do whatever it took to break the boy down to the core.

Suddenly, he pulled from the rope in Pippa´s wrists and he practically smashed her against the wall of his lair. Pippa screamed in pain and then passed out. Jack called out to her but she didn't respond; she was out cold. Pitch smiled when he felt the familiar fear again. Jack turned furious to him and glared with all his might, because it was the only thing he could actually do. "You monster, she is just a child!" he yelled at him. Pitch just laughed.

I will do whatever it takes to taste fear; after all, it does make me stronger. Now, wait here, I have another surprise for you," he said as he faded back into the shadows again. Jack couldn't possible imagine what would come next; he couldn't think Pitch could be anymore evil. She tried to call for his sister again but it was futile. He battled against the rope again to no avail, only hurting himself more, but he had to somehow reach Pippa.

Then, when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Pitch reappeared again and he was carrying what looked like a cage. When it got into view Jack gasped in surprise and anger. Inside were the guardians, hurt and barely conscious. Jack could tell they had put up a fight, but that he failed though. Tooth looked at Jack and tried to move forwards, but one of her wings was nearly broken and she could barely stand up. She begged silently to Jack, who could do nothing but stare.

"Isn't this great? All the guardians reunited in one place, completely under my mercy. One of them is useless and the others can barely do anything. And the bonus of the human girl is as much gratifying for me," Pitch laughed and Jack lunged forward, forgetting he was tied. He screamed in pain and fell back useless against the pole.

"Pitch…" Jack tried to sound threatening but he just sounded lame. He was panting and gasping for air, because the rope was getting tighter. His head hung low in surrender and defeat.

"Just deal with it and accept the fact that you are completely useless. I have everything you love and want under my grasp and you can do nothing about it. You are powerless. You will never save them as long as I'm here. I'm going to make you suffer and you are going to watch it all. And to think that is was you who caused it in the first place…" Pitch said while grinning evilly. Then he faded into the darkness, taking with him the unconscious Pippa and the hurt guardians.

Jack was left alone in complete darkness. When he was sure that even Pitch was gone, he cried. He cried out of frustration, anger and disappointment. He cried because he could not help, he cried because Pitch was getting away and he cried because, in the end, it was all his fault.

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**Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked it! I hope you are not mad at me for leaving things like that, but it's all to keep the suspense up. See you on the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Here's chapter seven. This chapter is definitely shorter, but is just as intense. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all for the support you've been giving me. Many of you got a little upset about the way I ended the previous chapter, but is all for the sake of the story ans suspense. I might do it again ;) Here we go!**

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Chapter Seven

Jack didn't realize when he fell asleep; nor did he notice any difference from his nightmares and the real life. His dreams were a perfect mirror of his life and he couldn't discern anymore from what was real and what was not. He just realized he was asleep when he was jerked awake by a kick in the shin. He winced in pain and he heard a soft, cold chuckle. Pitch was looking at him with a mischievous spark in his eyes, one Jack knew too well because it was the one he usually wore. Jack glared at him and Pitch just laughed coldly. "We are going to go outside, I prepared something for you," he told Jack grinning.

"Really? What else could you possibly give me?" Jack asked skeptically.

Pitch just waved his hand in front of him and dismissed the comment. "I'm not really asking you child," he said and untied Jack from the pole but not completely; Jack had still his arms tied to his torso and Pitch held the end of the rope the way one would when talking a dog for a walk, "I'm telling you. We are going outside." Pitch started to walk and Jack followed closely behind. He could barely move from the numbness on his legs, but still he managed. Pitch made it a very tiring job because occasionally he would pull on the rope harder to make Jack trip on his feet, to hurt him on purpose. When that happened he would just laugh and keep walking without looking back or stopping. Pitch was merciless to the boy.

They walked for several minutes through endless corridors in Pitch's lair. Soon, Jack saw at the end a tiny ray of light that grew bigger as they neared the exit of the hole they were buried under. Pitch easily exited, but for Jack was a much harder. His limbs weren't in the condition to be walking, much less climbing. Still, he managed after a while of efforts. Pitch yawned, as to implying Jack took too long and that he was bored. He could be so considerate to others some times.

When Jack finally got out he had to cover his eyes from the brightness of the sun. After being in the dark for so long, so much light hurt Jack and tried to give him a headache. How frustrated he was with his human body's limitation, when he was a spirit he never got hurt, never needed to rest not eat, and he certainly didn't get headaches. He closed his eyes tightly and then blinked repeatedly so that his eyes got used to daylight once again. All the while Pitch didn't wait and kept walking, pulling a blinded Jack along. He tripped on small rocks and roots all the way, and when he caught a glimpse of his feet he realized that they were a complete mess; full of bruises and cuts that bled… his feet looked practically red. That was the moment when he regretted not bringing his father's boots; they would have protected his feet when he fell down that big slope and now that he was walking barefoot.

He took a look at his surroundings and recognized the path Pitch was taking. He had taken it tons of times before and knew that area as he knew the palms of his hands, and he could have walked there with his eyes closed, clearly under better circumstances: the Boogeyman was leading Jack to the pond.

Jack felt puzzled. He couldn't possibly imagine what business did Pitch had at _his_ lake; his home for three hundred years prior to that moment. When they were nearing the lake he realized there was a huge crown surrounding it. He took a closer look and realized they were the villagers of his town. He even spotted his parents, hugged tight and frightened to death leaning against a tree. His dad had a black eye, and Jack had the hunch that he didn't trip over when hunting. It was Pitch's doing. They were all looking at him with gazes of awe, surprise, hope, sorrow… fear. Jack knew then that they could see Pitch, which was highly rare sight; adults seeing spirits such as Pitch was never heard of. Fury boiled up on Jack and was threatening to spill. "What are you planning Pitch? What did you to them? Why can they see you? _Why are they here?_" he emphasized the last question, but Pitch just laughed.

"You see, Jack, this is something I _love_ from this era. The people will believe in everything they hear because they can't prove it wrong. So, simply put, they heard from me from their children, who had nightmares about the Boogeyman thanks to the story you told them," Pitch explained nonchalantly while blaming it all on Jack, as if he wasn't really responsible for anything; waving away its importance with his hand, only managing to piss Jack off a lot more than what he already was. He wanted to rip Pitch apart limb by limb, but he just couldn't. He hadn't the strength, he was powerless, he was… human. Also it dawned on him the real weight of his responsibility. He thought he was just telling an amazing story; and yes, it was amazing. So amazing that the children believed it so much they started fearing the Boogeyman, as well as looking up to the guardians. The problem was that the guardians were under Pitch's mercy and were unable to help. If Jack didn't do something and Pitch won, the kids would most likely stop believing in the guardians, making them disappear.

The people made way for them to get to the shore of the lake. Jack's eyes widened and he felt nauseous. His beautiful lake, once full of crystalline water, vibrant of life when the ice had just melted away was covered by a thick layer of black sand that simulated ice. Jack could tell it could support weight, but he feared what might happen if someone stepped in accidentally. After all, black dream sand meant nightmares and he didn't trust Pitch making it safe enough.

"Go to the center of the lake Jack," Pitch ordered him sternly, having trouble hiding the grin of anticipation he wanted to wear at what was about to happen. Jack looked at him in disbelief. There was no way he would step into that thing that had who-knows-what kind of monsters underneath. He was about to tell Pitch that he'd never do such a thing when unexpectedly the Boogeyman pushed him into the now black lake, making Jack lose his balance and almost trip over. The crowd gasped and many tried to reach out for him, but with a glare of Pitch they fell silent.

The feeling of the black sand in contact with his wounded and barefoot feet sent a chill running down his spine. He tried to move back, but Pitched snapped his finger and pikes raised from the black sand in the shore to stop him from escaping. With another snap of his fingers, the rope tying Jack untied itself and fell to the black surface, merging and becoming one with it. "Now, go to the center Jack," Pitch told him again, with a soft yet threatening tone. Jack felt bad, really bad.

He feared what he might do if he didn't complied, not much for him, but for the villagers. And his sister… where was she? Jack looked around desperately but he didn't find her. His soul fell to his feet thinking the worse. _No! No think like that, she's fine,_ he scolded himself. He took a slow and hesitant step forward, then another, and another. When he confirmed it was steady enough, he fastened the pace. He made it to the center of the pond in one piece, but that was no time to relax. Now with a better view, he surveyed his surroundings. All the people were looking at him scared, not by him but for him. His mother was crying silently and his father was doing his best to be strong for her.

Pitch then arrived next to Jack in the pond on top of one of his fearlings. The horse looking hastily at everyone in a silent threat: if you move, I'll hurt you. Under its gaze everyone flinched and some of the younger kids started to cry. Pitch was a cruel man.

"Ladies and gentleman!" he called out in a clear, loud and cold voice that made everyone present shiver, even Jack. "We are gathering here today for an unprecedented event," he said and looked at Jack with an evil spark in his eyes. Then was that Jack realized Pitch's plot: he was going to break the hope of the people by getting rid of him in public. It was like a circus, and Jack was the clown everyone would mock and pity. Jack growled.

"We are going to play a game. We are going to give a little _fun_ to the Guardian of Fun. Here's the deal," he turned to face Jack. Suddenly, a soft noise reached Jack's ears and he turned around to both sides, seeing too big cages emerge and form from the very sand they were standing on. His eyes widened when he saw who was in those cages.

To his left was his sister, Pippa. One part of him was relieved to see her alive, but she wasn't well. She was shaking terrified. She had bruises and cuts Jack knew she hadn't before and he knew Pitch had hurt her. From the crowd a woman screamed and tried to leap forward, stopped only by the strong arms of her husband. Jack's parents looked devastated. His mother was crying into his father's embrace while he was trying hard not to cry himself. Pippa was looking at Jack pleadingly; her eyes were saying _Jack, help me. Save me. You told me to believe in you, so I believe now. Take me home safely, please._

On his right side was a bigger cage containing four beings, the four guardians. They were all mingled and wounded, but they weren't afraid. Tooth looked at him pleadingly, but not pleading for herself, but for him. She was pleading silently that Jack would be strong to overcome this obstacle. North looked at him proudly, knowing deep inside that Jack would get through this. Bunnymund was looking at him with a stern, yet determinate, look that said _we trust you, you can do this. In the end you will make the right choice _and that encouraged him to be strong. Sandy was looking at him hopefully.

Everyone's hopes were on him. If he failed, their hope would crack and they would be completely at the mercy of the Boogeyman. Jack couldn't allow that. In front of him, out of the black sand his staff emerged. Pitch urged him to grab it and Jack did. After testing it and discovering it was fine and functional, Pitch continued his speech.

"You have to choose one of them to save," the crowd and Jack gasped at the same time. "This is the question the Man in the Moon was going to ask you, this was your test; I'm only making it more interesting," he justified himself. "If you choose your sister, you choose to stay human and you will live in your village like everybody else with the slight difference that I will be there to haunt you. On the other hand, if you are foolish enough as to choose the guardians then you will meet the same fate they will. I'll give you… five minutes to make your decision, _choose wisely_" Pitch said and left the pond, which in a way looked like an arena. Everyone's eyes were on him. Everyone's hope was on him.

Jack decided that Pitch wouldn't get rid of him. He would crush everyone's hope by making Jack a pawn on his game. If he choose Pippa he would be betraying the guardians and would have to live in fear forever, if he choose the guardians he would be betraying his town, his family, his sister. He looked both sides again; his scared sister pleading and the guardians hopefully. He closed his eyes and thought. Pitch was right about something, which was what the test was all about. Manny had planned this out but it went berserk with Pitch messing with it. There was no right answer, because everything he said would be saving someone but betraying someone else. Unless… And just like that, in an instant, Jack knew his answer. He knew what he would choose, and he knew it was a real risky bet, but he needed to try. He might die trying anyway, but the hope wouldn't die with him because he would go down fighting.

"Time's up," Pitch's voice roared from the shore. "Tell us your decision," he asked him.

Jack still didn't open his eyes. He had to gather the courage to carry out his plan. He opened his eyes, now lighted up with a fiery determination that wasn't there before. He took a deep breath before voicing out his choice. "I… I choose… me," he said and everyone in the crowd gasped. Even Pitch looked a little startled, but he composed himself on time.

"That wasn't one of the options," he threatened while forming a whip out of black sand and stepping into the pond, nearing Jack. He knew that that might happen, but he also knew that if he died the people would remember him as someone who stood up for Pitch and might fight back. However, before he met his fate, Jack has some things left to say.

"What you don't understand, Pitch, is that you are making me choose between my two homes. I am Jackson Overland as much as I am Jack Frost, and not even you can change that. I can't choose between two halves of myself, I'm always going to be me. And you can't do nothing about it," Jack said clear and loud, so that everyone could hear him clearly. He saw everyone's eyes widen but this time not in fear, but in realization. They saw truth in his words and Jack smiled at that. Even his parents felt reassured and had a proud air around them, the guardians too.

Then he felt a familiar cold tug in the pit of his stomach and he closed his eyes. He smiled while he reached for that cold feeling, and soon a white light seemed to emerge from him and grew wider, covering the whole pond. Everyone, even Pitch, had to cover their eyes, and when they opened them again and light had dissipated they stared in awe in front of them. In the center of the pond, instead of the skinny, wounded and weak child that once stood there was a tall, lean, proud and fearless young man with pale skin, bright icy blue eyes, white hair and a real mischievous smile on his face, putting the one Pitch had worn to shame. He looked at himself and smiled. He played with his staff and smiled wider when the frost designs once there formed again. He hovered a few feet above the ground and the wind saluted him gratefully. Jack Frost was back.

He landed softly on his feet, feeling the black sand shiver while it turned to ice under his touch. He looked at everyone, who barely believed their eyes. His sister was smiling again, which relieved him. The guardians took pride on his position and then Jack knew that he had passed the test. He had chosen the right answer; he had chosen wisely.

He looked at Pitch and his smile faded into an angry frown, his mouth tense in a horizontal line. Pitch's smile also faded and he looked at Jack with surprise, frustration… and fear. "Now, we are going to play my own game," Jack said in a low, yet clear, voice full of contained rage while he glared at Pitch.

The later smiled evilly once again before replying: "Let the _Fun_ begin."

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**So, how was that? I hope you like it. The next chapter will be the epic battle between Pitch and Jack, who are you rooting for? Review and tell me what you think about the story so far, if you have any suggestions or want to comment on anything feel free to do so. I'm really struggling to keep writing and updating daily, but I can't dissapoint my followers. You deserve the story and so I write it. I'll try my best to keep the daily updates, if by chance I don't manage to do that, then I would upload it the next day. Thank you all again and I hope you liked it. See you soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ladies and gentlemen! Brace yourselves for the final confrontation between Pitch Black and Jack Frost! I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to give you something EPIC! I hope it was worth it and I hope that you like... no, that you love it! The end is near, guys. Here we go with Chapter Eight!**

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Chapter Eight

There was a heavy silence in the atmosphere. No one dared to make a move, to take a breath. Jack glared at Pitch intently and Pitch returned the glare. For a few minutes that felt like hours nothing happened. Then, without any kind of warning, Pitch launched at Jack with the speed of a bullet. In his hand Pitch made a small but sharp blade of compacted black sand, which he was aiming at Jack's heart. Jack saw it just in time to dodge and he could hear the blade making high pitched sound while it cut the wind. Jack grabbed his staff tighter and gulped loudly: this was a battle to death.

Jack loved his staff. It had been with him ever since he woke up on the lake three hundred years ago and even before that, when he used it to save his sister from death. It was a magnificent artifact, as ancient as winter itself, even before Jack was even born. It was magical; the wood was special so it would absorb his power without breaking. On the contrary, Jack's power made it stronger, proving how much magical it was. It was the mean with which he transmitted his power and let it out to the world; it was like a magic wand. Unfortunately, it had always been a lousy weapon. Even when magic couldn't damage, any physical contact over the edge could break it, like when Pitch snapped it in half. It wasn't good to defense or to offense because it didn't have any sharp edges. Jack never minded though, because he wasn't fond of conflicts and fights. Even when he brought the snow and the winter he always did it moderately. In the blizzard of sixty eight, for example, he never hurt anyone because he just through enough snow to spoil the Easter Egg Hunt.

He didn't want to fight or hurt, but now with Pitch aiming at him a pointy sharp black blade he didn't have much of a choice. He needed a better weapon, something to defend himself with and something to attack too. He searched his memory for things he could use that he had available. He remembered in Tooth's castle when Bunny used his Easter Eggs as bombs, North's swords, even Tooth's punch and he thought it was ironic everyone had such cool weapons. Well, Tooth wasn't a fighter, but she needed to get some sort of compensation for her fairies; after that day she never did any attempt to hurt nobody, even when she got mad. Then he thought about the greatest weapon he could use: his own powers. Yeah, great, just one little detail: it was spring. How was Jack supposed to fight Pitch when the warm weather would melt everything he attempted to do? Well, for starters, he needed to change scenario. If he was going to fight, he needed to have something hold to help him.

Jack was about to receive a direct blow from Pitch when he flung into the air. As he predicted, Pitch gave him chase on top of a sand cloud, pretty much like Sandy's, only that Pitch's was black. Soon, Jack was leading him all the way to the South Pole, the place where they had had their first confrontation. If he decided to go to the North Pole he feared the yetis and North's workshop might get compromised, damaged or hurt, or even destroyed. He couldn't risk that. He had already screwed up enough.

Pitch was oblivious to it, a look of madness to his face; his pupils were dilated and his mouth was curved up in a mad grin that showed his yellow teeth. "What's wrong Frost? You're too weak to fight me? What happened to playing your own game, huh?" He screamed at Jack and he really had to focus on getting to the Pole and not punching Pitch in the face. The might have been above the Atlantic ocean, where the weather was warm enough to hurt Jack, so he couldn't afford to fight him there. However, soon Jack took a glimpse around and he didn't saw Pitch anymore. He stopped abruptly and looked all around himself in search of Pitch, but he didn't saw him anywhere.

Suddenly, he heard Pitch's war scream below him but he realized too late. Pitch came at him at alarming speed and Jack couldn't dodge the attack. Pitch's blade cut Jack all along his right arm, making him drop his staff and lose his balance. Jack started to fall into the ocean below him, and he couldn't think straight enough to process that. The pain on his arm was unbearable, and he was sure that blood was oozing out of the deep gash on his arm. He also didn't feel his hand, but he knew that he didn't have his staff. He was trying to think of a way to get it back when he fell flat back into the ocean. The, for us, warm water of the Atlantic Ocean was like boiling lava to Jack, who was used to very cold temperatures. His warm was the human's cold, and viceversa, so falling into such warm water was like torture to him and it caused him excruciating pain.**(A/N: According to the internet the average temperature on the Atlantic Ocean is of 82.774839 °F, which is 28.2082 °C. I'm not an expert or anything, but I think that is far too much for the weather Jack is used to and that it's just too much for him to handle. Just a random fact that might be useful to this story.)**

Jack tried to swim to the surface, but with one arm injured it was very difficult for him. He needed to breath, he needed to get out of there, but the surface just seemed to move further away from him. He could not possibly use his ice powers there, could he? The warm temperature would melt everything. He thought about how the Titanic sank with that iceberg, it was in the Atlantic Ocean too, but it was far north from there. Now he was near the equator, making the weather much warmer. His consciousness starting to fade, he thought it was the end. When he was about to slip away, his sister came to mind. His sister smiling, his sister crying, his sister scared, his sister laughing. He did everything for her, he was who he was for her, thanks to her; he could not die without saying goodbye once again, and he could not abandon her like that. She didn't deserve it.

A new determination moved him now: he would see his sister again. Yes, he would make Pitch pay, but he would also see his sister. His cold core seemed to be cooling down even more, trying to regulate Jack's temperature under the warm water. All around him the temperature started to drop suddenly, and Jack realized that as a defense mechanism, his own body was using his power to cool down the water, at least in the place where he was. It seemed to work, though, because he didn't feel so bad suddenly. He also noticed the pain in his arm was gone, and he took a glimpse at it. The salt of the water mixed with his cold temperature had created some kind of protective layer on top of the wound. Jack had never seen something like that, because he wasn't supposed to get that hurt in the first place. The water kept cooling down as the seconds passed and he soon was able to get to the surface. He emerged and gasped for air loudly.

"I thought you weren't getting out, Frost. I had already thought it had been too easy!" Pitch mocked him and Jack glared at him. He could try to fly to the Pole, but maybe using the water he was already cooling down wasn't such a bad idea. He started moving his hands in the water, trying to cool it at a faster rate. When he could feel ice forming, he shaped the small pieces sharply and hid them in between his fingers, so that Pitch wouldn't see him. Then he flew back in to the air and out of the water. If he kept cooling down water that was supposed to be warm bad things could happen. The weather wasn't something to be messing with.

When Pitch saw Jack already in the air, he lunged forward, knowing he was weakened in the heat. However, Jack saw it coming and threw Pitch the sharp shards of ice knowing they could hurt a lot. They had become even more solid in his hand, and even Pitch couldn't have expected that. When he was close enough, Jack threw them in his face. Pitch screamed in pain and stopped, Jack used that distraction to call for the wind and for his staff. He could sense it near, and when the wind picked him up he saw it floating in the sea not too far. He asked the wind to go as fast as possible to the South Pole, and when Jack flew above his staff he grabbed it and flew with the wind. When Pitch recovered he followed after, but this time Jack made sure he couldn't catch up.

After some minutes they arrived finally at the South Pole and Pitch finally saw his plot, if not a little too late. "Very clever boy…" Pitch said under his breath while narrowing his eyes.

"Now we can really play my own game," Jack said, repeating the same words he said in Burgess to piss Pitch off. If he was going to fight, he might as well make it fun right? The Boogeyman responded with an attack, but now that Jack was on his territory he used the snow to cover and make himself visible for Pitch. Pitch attacked aimlessly at everything that moved, thinking it might be Jack, but he wasn't lucky enough. Jack positioned behind Pitch and shot ice at his feet, Pitch tripped and used his hands to stop the fall; Jack took advantage of that and shot ice at his hands. Now Pitch was locked in the floor unable to move, his sand useless too. Jack made the blizzard stop and stood in front of pitch, holding a dagger made of ice in a threating manner. Pitch just laughed coldly. "You can't kill me," he said, still laughing.

Jack knew that already, so he didn't give Pitch the satisfaction of looking surprise. Jack wasn't planning on killing him either, but he would play along with him. "And why's that?" he asked, as if he didn't know, while he glared at Pitch with hate and rage. He would pay.

"Fear can't die Jack. Besides, a guardian who kills, a guardian who murders cannot be a guardian," he said hoping to cause some impact on Jack, but he didn't even flinch.

"And did you really think I was going to kill you?" Jack said next, his turn to mock Pitch.

"You… you don't?" the Boogeyman asked in disbelief.

"No. That would be a gift compared to what I'm really going to do with you," Jack replied repressing his anger. "You are going to beg me to kill you;" he said again and he smiled when he saw Pitch's eyes widen in fear. Then, he grabbed a dagger made of pure ice and thrust it in the icy ground right in front of Pitch. The ice cracked all around the Boogeyman, who watched in terror as the crack finished an uneven circle with him inside. Jack tapped the ground with his staff and the piece of ice Pitch was in raised into what looked like a big and tall column. Pitch looked terrified below, and he was a good ten feet in the air. Jack floated up to him. "You are going to wait here until I get the guardians. Then we will decide what to do with you." He said while he reinforced the ice so that it covered half of the legs and arms of Pitch so that he would not escape.

"Wait, you can't possibly leave me here, it's freezing!" he begged. Jack chuckled.

"Of course I can; this is my game" he said before flying off and living a trembling Pitch in the top of that mighty ice column. Whether he was trembling of fear or cold, or both, it's still unknown. Jack flew as fast as he could back to his lake. He needed to make sure Pippa and the guardians were okay, then he needed to talk to his parents and the villagers and apologize to everyone. It felt so nice to be back, so without the rush of persecution and fights he let himself float, fly and turn in the air as he pleased. He had missed wind so much. He looked at his arm and saw that the wound had almost disappeared, thanks to being in such cold and the salt of the sea.

He flew up, he flew down, he enjoyed the wind on his skin as he slew down or sped up. He stopped in some places along the way that needed winter, and he laughed along with its citizens when snow started to fall down. The children played and the adults watched them. Some lovebirds kissed under the first snowflake and some peoples just went for a walk in the refreshing snow. Jack laughed wholeheartedly, he was happy again! Not only happy, he was complete. Nothing was missing anymore, at least for a little while. He took the route he always used to get to Burgess and he was there in no time. The town much small than the great city in would one day become, but the lake remained the same at all time as well as the forest. That was the true place that remained unchanged for three centuries, and that got over all the obstacles presented to it by standing firm on its roots and remaining to be what they were. Just like Jack did.

He landed softly on the ground lake that still had that dirty layer of thick black sand. Jack gagged. How he despised Pitch for doing that to his beautiful lake. "Don't worry, I'll fix you in no time;" he whispered to the lake knowing that the nature could hear and understand him as Jack Frost. He was going to start the cleanup, when something –or rather someone– tackled him to the ground hard. He got ready to defend himself from the yet unknown being that cling into him, but he relaxed and smiled when he saw Pippa crying on his chest. She was hugging him so tightly that Jack thought she could break his ribs if she wanted to. He hugged her back, relief washing over him. He was glad his sister was free at last, and so he supposed the guardians too, but they could wait. Jack soothed his sister and moved his hand up and down her back, to get her to stop sobbing. He heard fast footsteps running at them from behind, and he didn't have to think too much before recognizing the steps.

The big thuds were from North, an irregular hop was from Bunny, the sound of wings fluttering softly with soft steps were Tooth and other more steady and calm, almost lazy and inaudible, were from Sandy. He also heard two more pair of footsteps that didn't match the guardians, and so he turned his head and found all the guardians panting, but smiling, and next to them were his parents, smiling relieved. The guardians looked at him proudly, but kept their distance. It was a family moment. His parents hesitantly neared him on the weird surface they obviously distrust, but they wanted to reach their children. Once near enough, Her mother kneeled in front of him and put her hand in his cheek. "I'm so proud of you," she said and then frowned. "But that doesn't mean you are not grounded for life;" she remarked, barely able to hold her smile and her tears –happy tears– before hugging both her children.

Jack laughed a relaxed, happy and relieved laugh. "Don't worry, mom. I have plenty of time to pay my sentence." He was joking of course, but it was true that he was no longer going to grow old or die. It saddened him that he might watch his family die, but he pushed the thought aside. It would be a long time before that happened. His dad didn't say anything, there was no need to for Jack knew what he was thinking, so he just kneeled down too and hugged his whole family. His large and heavy arms managing to embrace the three of them and there they stayed for a couple of minutes. They broke the hug reluctantly and smiled at each other. Pippa's eyes were puffy and red, but she was happy; the tears were stained in her face. They started to leave the pond.

Just before Jack stepped out, however, he had something to fix. He told his family to go to the shore, as well as the guardians, and they did. He went to the center of the pond again, took a deep breath and tapped his staff hardly on the compacted black sand. Instantly it froze, a few seconds later it cracked. The spider web of cracks expanded and covered the entire pond, and when it wasn't solid enough to hold something, the water reemerged from the bottom and the pieces floated aimlessly. He had freed the water, which was good. He could leave it there and it would do no harm, but it looked dirty and not pretty, so he decided to clean it all up. He floated a few feet in the air and raised his staff. The wind, listening to his command, blew hard; so hard that the pieces of black sand were sent flying to the shore, where they piled up in a much disorganized manner. He would deal with that rumble later, because for now the lake was clean and that was all that mattered.

He hovered back to his family. They were slightly freaked out, but they smiled nonetheless. Someone cleared his throat next to them and they turned to see a very uncomfortable North.

Jack's face shifted from one side to another, trying to get something straight. When he couldn't he sighed. "Okay, I give up. Can you see them?" he asked his parents. If Pippa saw them it was alright, she was still a child.

"Of course, why wouldn't we?" his mother answered him. "They saved your sister," she said and smiled gratefully at the guardians who returned the smile.

"Give me a sec," he said using the modern expression that he was sure his father didn't get, but it didn't matter for him had matters to attend. He walked over to the guardians, who unexpectedly jumped on him in a massive group hug.

"Jack, Jack, Jack! You are okay, aren't you? You aren't hurt, are you?" Tooth asked quickly as he surveyed Jack once the hug broke. She gasped when she saw the scar on his arm. "What happened? Did Pitch do that?" she asked again. Jack just chuckled.

"I'm glad to see you too guys," he replied and smiled. "Before I get into details," he said when he saw the guardians opening their mouths to ask something, "my parents can actually see you. Why's that?" He hit a nerve. The guardians shifter uncomfortably on their places and looked to the ground.

"Jack, everything here is a parallel time frame isolated for your test. Some rules were altered for you to succeed, for example, that everyone here could see you," North explained looking sad. Jack looked puzzled. North gulped a sudden lump that formed on his throat, knowing that he was about to destroy the child. "You were never human Jack; the Man in the Moon just locked away your powers inside. If we hadn't altered the rules, the people wouldn't have been able to see you because no one can come back from the death."

North's words were harsh, but they were the truth. Jack knew that, and still he wanted to get mad at the guardians, at the man in the moon, at Pitch, at anyone, but he had known the truth since the Boogeyman revealed to him his plot. He just didn't pay any attention to it because it was too painful. Jack swallowed, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. But he would not cry in front of the guardians; not then, not ever. "Does that mean this never happened? As if it had been a dream all along? This… was this ever real?" he managed to ask, but the feeling got him and a single tear escaped his eyes.

"Everything that happened here was and is real. And it will be as long as you believe in it; look at us, for example. Look at you with Jamie. It is real if you want it to be," Tooth told him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Jack looked down and repressed a sob.

"When do I have to go back?" he asked after taking some deep breaths.

"This…" North said signaling all around him, "…universe was meant to disappear as soon as you passed the test. We have little time, so you should go say your goodbyes. We still need to… deal with Pitch," he said, half translating from Sandy and half from his own. Jack just nodded and sniffed before heading to his family.

They saw him approach with his head hanging low, and they knew that the guardians had finally revealed the truth. After Jack left with Pitch to battle off town, and that the guardians saved Pippa, they explained as thoughtfully as they could the situation to Jack's parents and sister. They were shocked, but they understood it was important to show their cooperation because it would be even harder on Jack. The guardians even told them what happened after the incident in the lake. That Jack died and wandered the world alone for three hundred years being invisible to everyone; the conflict that arose with Pitch and how he was defeated the first time; how Jack got his first believer and how he became a guardian. Then they explained the test and the reason behind it and they understood that the hardest part would be on Jack.

His mother neared and hugged him midway. Jack was startled but he hugged back and started to cry on her shoulder. He broke his vow of never crying, but he couldn't help it. After being with his family he had to say goodbye, he had to let go. He didn't want to, but he didn't want to disappear into oblivion either. After some time they parted and his mom put a hand on his cheek. "No matter how many years have passed, we will always be in your heart, in your memories. This is as real as it's going to get, and I just want you to know that we are all very proud of you son. You are brave and have a noble heart. I know you can face this;" his mother told him with tears in her eyes. Jack's eyes widened.

"You know?!" he asked wiping away the tears from his face and sniffing.

"They already told us," she pointed the guardians. "You just have to keep being you. You said it yourself: you are Jackson Overland as well as you are Jack Frost, and nothing could make us prouder," she explained and Jack couldn't help but smile at her. He hugged her tightly and then they went to the family.

Pippa ran up to him and hugged him very tight and cried a bit more on him. Jack himself shed some tears. "Thank you, Jack. You died saving me; you exchanged your life with mine. I couldn't have asked for a better brother than you. I might be selfish, but I don't want this to end," she said between sobs in her brother's shoulder.

"I know, Pippa. These few days were the best I had in a long time. Three centuries to be precise; and I don't want this to end either. You don't know how much I missed you and how much I will," he said wholeheartedly. Pippa cried harder. When she calmed down they broke the hug.

"What's it like in the twenty first century?" she asked real curious and Jack couldn't help but laugh at her innocence. She was still a child, and even then she knew how to cheer Jack up.

"You would love it," he simply said thinking of the skates they sold back in the stores. They had to do theirs themselves as good as they could, but they were fine. In the modern era she could go buy them and skate all they long any time of year in a perfectly secured area where she would not risk falling into freezing water. Then he hugged his dad, again short of words. They had this… telepathic ability in which they didn't have to talk to understand what the other wanted to say. It was a hug full of longing and love. But both were men and enough tears had been shed already; they didn't cry.

"Jack, it's time," North called back and Jack nodded and looked at his family once more.

"I'm going to miss you so much," he told his family before a final hug. Then, Jack turned around and went to North; he could already see some of the borders fading into whiteness. There was portal from which they would go back to their time. "What about Pitch?" he asked the guardians.

"Manny took care of him," Bunny told him. Jack nodded and grabbed his staff tighter. The guardians held their hands and prepared to jump. He dared to look back one last time, and he saw his family waving at him. They were smiling, they were happy. His sister was in tears, but she still looked happy. His mother was about to and his father was holding them both; his wife by the waist and his daughter by the hand. When they faded into the whiteness, they would be together. Jack felt reassured by this and smiled: everything was going to be okay. Then, the five guardians jumped into the portal.

The last thing Jack saw was white.

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**What did you think? Did you like it? Please review, I want to know your opinion. I know it was a little sad... correction, it was too sad the ending of this chapter but I promise you it gets better in the next chapter. Maybe the next will be the last, considering that I write each chapter with at least two thousand words... I thank you all for your support up until now and I apologize for the delay on this chapter, but tell me, was it or was it not worth it? I also apologize for my possible mistakes in grammar, english is not my mother lenguage. Again, I'm sorry, and thank you all. See you on the next, and possibly last, chapter.  
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	9. Chapter 9

**Waaaaaaa! I'm sorry I took so long guys, but it's just that I don't like the fact that this is the last chapter on this story. This is so sad for me. But anyway, this story would be nothing without your support, so I thank you all again for your favorites, your reviews, your follows. You made me real happy and I'm really glad you all liked my story that much. I never thought it would reach so many in such a short time. Thank you again. Here we go with Chapter Nine, the last of this tale called "Living".**

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Chapter Nine

Jack had to close his eyes under the brightness of the white around him. He slowly opened them and he discovered himself alone in a vast white space that seemed to meet no end. The guardians were nowhere to be seen and Jack started to panic. He started to walk, gripping his staff hard, trying to find something that told him where he was. No such luck, though. His heart raced and his mind thought for a moment that he hadn't jump in time and that he was stuck in the oblivion, all on his own now that the time frame had returned to normal, and that he would find no way to back. He was startled, and proven wrong, when in front of him he found a chubby man in a white suit.

"Jack! It's so good to see you," he exclaimed and went to meet him, walking at a slow pace without any hurry or worry in the world.

"Am I… where am I?" he asked confused; and then when he saw the man again he added, somewhat defensively. "And who are you?"

The chubby man laughed. "You don't recognize me? I'm Tsar Lunar, Manny as you might know me," he explained in a very calm tone. Jack's mouth opened as if to say something and then closed again without a single sound. He was completely at loss of words because of the surprise, but he recovered soon.

"You… wait, you are the Man in the Moon?" he asked skeptically, but quickly changed his face and put something more serious and proper. He was technically speaking with his boss. The Man in the Moon just laughed.

"Yes, that's me," he confirmed and then patted Jack in his arm, because he could not reach his shoulder. Besides chubby he was also small in height. He was almost comical. "Now come take a walk with me," he asked, puzzling Jack.

"But… but the guardians, where are they?" He asked.

"They are fine, Jack. They are back on Earth, on their rightful time. I just borrowed you for a little while, but time is ticking so I want you to come and walk with me. We've got some matters to discuss," the Man in the Moon said and Jack was surprised by the stern tone he used and he was left with no choice but comply. They started to walk into the vast whiteness with no real destination. "First of all, I would like to apologize about the three centuries of unanswered questions on my side. I could not tell you the purpose you had, but I also could have never imagined you would lose your memories when I turned you into Jack Frost. Also I would like to apologize about the way your test turned out; it wasn't supposed to be that way. I did want you to choose, but not the way Pitch made you, but I'm real proud of you for the way you handled everything. You proved yourself you're a worthy guardian, and that was the idea of the test," he told Jack with a sad expression.

Jack felt like he was talking to a father of some sort, which in a way he was because he gave him life as Jack Frost after he died as Jackson. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat to speak some words of his own. "I'm glad you didn't answer my questions," he said bluntly and the surprise made Manny stop on his tracks. Jack turned around to face him. "I know why you did, and if you had maybe I wouldn't have turned out to be a guardian, but the opposite. Now I know that purpose is something each one has to find on their own and in the end I found mine so no harm done," he said looking at the chubby man in the eye, but then lowered his gaze when he changed the topic. "But regarding the test… I know it wasn't meant to be that way, but didn't you think it would be a little harsh to give me everything I wanted just to take it away right after?" he asked remembering North's words. _We had to alter some rules so that they could see you. No one can come back from the death._

The Man in the Moon also looked down. "I guess you're right, I never thought about it that way, I'm sorry, Jack, I really am. I'll make it up to you somehow. But now because it was a test it doesn't mean it wasn't real," he said and Jack yanked his head to look at Manny again. "It wasn't a dream, it wasn't an illusion. It was real because it was an isolated time frame, and the Master of Time already warned me that some events that happened in the test might have had some influence in the present and future, although we don't know if it's for good or for bad," he told Jack.

"You mean… that I really spent time with my real family? They weren't a makeshift for the test?" Jack asked voicing out his fear.

"Yes, they were your real family. I'm going to show you something," Manny replied and in front of them he opened like looked like a mix between a portal and a mirror. "I'm going to show you what really happened after you died," he said and with his hand he told Jack to step in. He reluctantly did, followed by the Man in the Moon. They appeared in the town of Burgess, which was exactly the same as when Jack lived there both times: when he was alive and the time of the test. However there was something in the air, something heavy and sad. The Man in the Moon started to walk towards the woods. Jack followed closely behind. They arrived at the lake, where Jack could see there were a lot of people congregated. They didn't seem to see them though. They made their way through the crowd and in front of the congregation was Jack's family.

"Is this… real?" Jack asked the Man in the Moon

"Now it's just a vague memory," he replied, "because of the test this outcome was changed. Now this is just what could've happened if you hadn't been saved," he clarified to Jack. All those twists and turns in time were making him dizzy and he didn't really understand what was going on, but he didn't ask anything more.

He looked at his family again. They were looking to the ground, tears staining their cheeks, in the shore to the still frozen lake. It could have been the day after he drowned or something like that, it looked to fresh. Pippa was crying and sobbing loudly, hugging her teddy bear. Jack could recognize it as the one he sew for her fourth birthday, and she clung into it as if it was a life saver. She kept saying 'I'm sorry' over and over again, and Jack realized that she had blamed herself. Their mom was doing her best to comfort Pippa, but she was too hurt and wouldn't listen. All the persons of the village had candles in their hands, and they put them in the thick ice of the shore, afraid of stepping closer and falling in. They looked so sad and so depressed. Jack remember the face of his family when he was there, when he had wake up and was walking and talking to them and they were happy. He had never seen such faces on them and somehow he knew that they never got completely over his death.

The Man in the Moon turned to Jack. "Don't you think they are happier knowing you didn't die, but that you became a guardian and that you help children all over the world? Don't you think that the time you spent with them, even in an isolated time frame, is better than this?" he asked him, and Jack couldn't help but agree. At least when they parted this time he was able to say goodbye and to reassure his family he would be okay.

"But now they are dead, aren't they?" Jack asked, almost fearing the answer.

"In your present, yes; they died a long time ago. But in your past and in theirs you and they were alive. Think of what we did as to rewrite a chapter in a book. To tore ten pages of chapter number eleven in a book and rewrite all over again. Obviously the consequent chapters also change, but it doesn't make the book less interesting or less real, do you see my point?" the Man in the Moon replied.

"I think I do now," Jack said truthfully and smiled a bit knowing that at least the sad part had changed. "What will happen when I return? What things changed what things didn't?" he asked.

"We don't know yet," the Man in the Moon said. "Our time is almost done and I would like to tell you something else." Jack listened eagerly. "I'm here today to congratulate you, Jackson Overland a.k.a. Jack Frost for passing the guardian's test. You passed with excellent grades," the Man in the Moon said smiling acting as if he were a school director, although there weren't really grades. Jack laughed because he had also wanted to have a graduation. He had seen many, but never got the chance to actually get one for obvious reasons, and he was happy he at least graduated at something. The Man in the Moon knew all of that, after all he watched over him every night, and he just wanted to make him happy.

Then the whiteness started to fade off and the Man in the Moon cleared his throat. "Time's up, I guess?" Jack said instead and both smiled. Manny nodded and started to leave. "Wait, where do I go?" he asked to the man that was going further away every second.

"You don't have to go anywhere, you are already there," Manny answered but it was more like a whispered carried by the wind than anything else. The whiteness faded a little more and Jack was getting surrounded by darkness. His eyes widened in fear and he got scared. What did he mean when he said I was already there? Why were the shadows surrounding him? Was Pitch behind it? Wait, it couldn't be, Jack defeated him. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to expect. Suddenly the darkness swallowed him and he went blind.

He stood in the darkness for a long while. He didn't know how long exactly, but it was enough to make him worry. Then, suddenly, he could see light behind his eyelids. Even when it was covered, Jack thought it was too strong for him and shut his eyes even tighter. He clenched his fists and teeth and stirred a bit, his body ached and so he groaned. He heard some footsteps and wings fluttering somewhere around him but he could not point fingers in the directions. He heard whispers and voices, but recognized none. He got scared. Where was he?

Slowly, when he thought he could handle a little bit more light, he dared to open his eyes. He regretted it the very instant in which bright white light shone into his eyes and forced them closed. He blinked many times, a little bit too fast, to get used to the light. It worked fair enough and soon he saw he was in a big room. The room had wooden floors and he was lying in a comfy bed. He saw a window opened, with colorfully painted glass, and outside he could only see white and blue. A breeze of air entered through it and he felt less sacred. He took a deep breath while the cold wind blew around him in a way of hug only the wind could give. He looked at his surroundings and he saw the guardians standing in the room with him. He was back! He was home.

"Hey guys," he greeted them. His voice was hoarse and merely more than a whisper, but audible. Immediately the guardian's faces lit up and they all ran to hug him in a bone crushing group hug that got all the air he and just inhaled out of their lungs. "Can't…. breathe…" Jack managed to say and thus the hug was broken. Still, the relieved faces didn't go away; they were happy to see Jack away.

"Oh, Jack we were so worried!" Tooth exclaimed fluttering around. As always, she simply could not stay still. Jack looked puzzled.

"Why? What happened?" Jack asked. The last thing he remembered was speaking to the Man in the Moon in a white space and then indefinite darkness. He still got shivers at the thought of that.

"Well, we jumped through the portal to get back home, but somewhere along the way ouo fell unconscious," Bunny explained to him.

"When we finally arrived here you were still unconscious and we didn't know when you would wake up or why you wouldn't," North finished the explanation. Then Jack knew that the darkness he was in was unconsciousness. Oh! So that was what the Man in the Moon meant by 'you are already here'!

"How long did I sleep?" Jack asked, worried about how much time he missed. Sandy made a four and a half number above his head with the sand, and Jack couldn't help being surprised. "Wow. That's… a lot," he just said. He made an attempt to stand up, but his knees failed. He would have fallen face first to the ground if not for North, who caught him just in time.

"Easy. Your injuries aren't healed," he said, putting Jack back in the bed.

"Why didn't I feel them before?" Jack asked, while he did his best to get comfortable.

"Well, that is a side effect of time travelling. That is the reason they are not frequent and used only in exceptions and emergencies;" Bunny explained, and then Jack remembered about when he woke up at his home in the isolated time frame and how he felt so sore.

"You rest here, later you can leave," North told him.

"And by later, Jack, he means after a few good days of bed rest," Tooth explained to Jack, who seemed willing to leave that night. He couldn't help but chuckle, but he nodded in agreement. He would not be leaving any time soon.

After a few days of being at the pole his strength and his powers gradually came back at him, and he greeted them thankfully. Now his life was complete. All the doubts he had in the past were gone, he knew who he really was, and he also knew the purpose of his life. He had friends who were willing to help him and they had even become a second family to him. He was happy knowing that his own family didn't suffer much after his own dead.

When a good four days had passed he decided it was time to leave and visit his first believer, Jamie. The guardians held a party to celebrate many things; Pitch's defeat, Jack's arrival, his recovery, the test he passed and those they were all together. In reality those were only excuses: they just wanted a party.

By eleven o' clock Jack left. He knew that Jamie's parents wouldn't let him stay awake too long, and he needed his friend to talk about stuff he couldn't with the guardians. For example, how much time had really passed since his exam started and he left? He didn't want to worry Jamie or anything like that, and he wondered if the guardians had even told him to go there in time. He arrived at burgess, and the first thing he saw was a very big statue in the park that wasn't there before. What was more surprising than that wasn't the size, but the person it portrayed and the legend it had written below.

The statue was of him. Made of what looked like bronze and it looked really, really old. He was dressed with the cloak his mom sewed for him and he had his staff also. He looked brave, he looked fearless. He couldn't help but gap at it in awe. "Wow, I didn't expect this at all," he whispered to himself while he looked at the statue impressed. He felt really flattered, but it was also a little creepy to see himself in bronze. The legend read:

_Heroes are born from moonlight and courage.  
_

Jack's mouth fell to the ground. He would have never guessed that he would get a statue for defeating Pitch. The last time he did they tried to give him shoes, and needless to say it was a complete disaster. He touched it and frost formed in the statue, involving it in an eerie glow in the moonlight. He knew what the legend meant by moonlight, but he doubted anyone else did. He also wondered if he was believed in by more people now that he was better known. He shrugged the questions off and took a breeze to Jamie's home.

As to be expected, when he arrived he was still awake. He was on his bed reading a book. Jack tapped on the glass with his staff, and Jamie turned to his direction. However, he did not reacted in the way Jack thought he would. In fact, it was as if he could not even see him. Jack tapped again, louder.

This time Jamie stood up and went to the window. He looked through the frost that Jack had formed there unconsciously and when he didn't see much he opened his window. Jack moved so that the window didn't hit him, but he was still puzzled that Jamie could not see him. "Jamie?" he asked hesitantly, but he barely made any kind of recognition sound. Jamie sighed and when he reached for the window to close it, he went straight through Jack's chest.

Jack's soul fell to the floor, somewhat literal because he couldn't hold his flight any longer. His eyes were wide in shock and he fell into the ground with a small thud nobody heard. He was all alone in the darkness when the ugly truth hit him square in the face, almost as if it had been a rock: Jamie Bennett could not see him.

_The end...?_

* * *

**So, what did you think? Did you like it, hate it, loved it, despised it? Please review and tell me your opinions, they are really important to me. Something else, you didn't really believe this would be the end, right? This story is indeed ending, but I'm coming up with a sequel I thought about that will take place immediately after this ending. I don't know when I'll start it though, I hope I don't take too long. I hope you all stay tunned to see what happens with Jamie and Jack when Jamie doesn't see him, meaning he doesn't believe in him. How will Jack take it? How will he solve it?**

**It was a great honor for me to write "Living" and I really wished that you enjoyed it. Any suggestions, comments, requests, whatever you want you can review here or PM me. Thank you so much for your support, and see you soon!**

**This is me, ClearEyes, signing off for the night.**


	10. AUTHOR NOTE: SEQUEL OUT

**Author Note:**

**The sequel to this story is out. It's called "Forgotten". I post it here for everyone who follows this story and wished to read it. Here's the link:**

**s/8986795/1/Forgotten**


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